Release Date
Geography
Language of Resource
Full Text Available
Open Access / OK to Reproduce
Peer Reviewed
Objective
London InterCommunity Health Centre (LIHC) launched a safer opioid supply (SOS) program in 2016, where clients are prescribed pharmaceutical opioids and provided with comprehensive health and social supports. We sought to evaluate the impact of this program on health services utilization and health care costs.
Findings/Key points
In the time series analysis, rates of ED visits, hospital admissions, and health care costs not related to primary care or outpatient medications declined significantly after entry into the SOS program (n = 82), with no significant change in rates of infections. In the year after cohort entry, the rate of ED visits, hospital admissions, admissions for incident infections and total health care costs not related to primary care or outpatient medications declined significantly among SOS clients compared with the year before. We observed no significant change in any of the primary outcomes among unexposed individuals (n = 303).
Design/methods
Interrupted time series analysis
