Emergency department staff compassion is associated with lower fear of enacted stigma among patients with opioid use disorder.

Objectives: Fear of enacted stigma (fear of discrimination or being treated unfairly) is associated with decreased health care-seeking behaviors among patients with opioid use disorder (OUD). We sought to describe the prevalence of fear of enacted stigma among patients presenting to the emergency department (ED) with OUD and to test whether experiencing greater compassion from ED staff is associated with lower fear of enacted stigma.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study in the ED of an academic medical center between February and August 2023.