Amplifying the Strength and Leadership of Nurses in Opioid Use Disorder Care

From the Civil War to the COVID-19 pandemic, nurses have been at the very heart of the response to the US ’s greatest public health crises. The unique set of skills instilled through nursing education, combined with great courage and a commitment to the care and comfort of the patient, has not only made nursing care indispensable during these periods, but has also propelled nurses to the forefront of leadership and innovation. For example, programs such as Boston Health Care for the Homeless and the first HIV specialty ward, founded at San Francisco General Hospital in 1983, were each co-led by nurses at a time when fear and stigma drove many other health care professionals away. Amid the ongoin g opioid public health crisis, nurses have again risen to lead efforts at expanding treatment and improving care for patients with opioid use disorder (OUD).
Source: JAMA Internal Medicine - Category: Internal Medicine Source Type: research