Opioid Epidemic: Video Monitoring Helps Reduce Substance Abuse in Hospital Setting

Almost daily we read reports of patients needing to be resuscitated from an overdose while in hospital, or dealers being arrested while visiting a detox patient to make a sale. As many AvaSys^® clients know, video monitoring often uncovers drug deals or patients attempting to use their IV to self-administer heroin.

In 2015 the journal Drug and Alcohol Review published a study tracking more than 1,000 patients with substance use disorder. Almost half (43.9%) reported using illicit drugs while they were in the hospital. These patients experience higher levels of HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis C, non-fatal overdose and other injection-related infections requiring hospitalization. Although they need medical care, they are at much higher risk for leaving the hospital against medical advice (43.4% did so at least once).

A 2016 case study published in the journal Case Reports in Infectious Diseases describes a puzzling case of sustained bacteremia that didn’t resolve with multiple antibiotic regimes during the patient’s hospitalization. Eventually, hospital staff discovered the patient was self-injecting heroin with an unsterile needle through his central line. This case highlights the importance of close monitoring inside the hospital for patients with active substance use disorders. Usually, this sort of patient would benefit much more from staying in somewhere like the Enterhealth Ranch, where they can get specialist addiction treatment. However, for one reason or another, they have to be in hospital and so are unable to access that sort of treatment. Nevertheless, they shouldn’t be in a position where they are able to self-administer heroin. Ultimately, the goals of rehabilitation should involve using diagnostic tests such as the 10 panel drug test to provide appropriate treatment and safety for these patients.

“Drug usage precautions,” “possible drug usage through IV” or “watch for drug activity” are seen with surprising frequency as reasons for video monitoring. According to ORNA, AvaSure’s video monitoring database, 60% of hospitals have used video monitoring to prevent drug activity within patients’ rooms. Many hospitals are now adding “substance use disorder” to their video monitoring policy’s inclusion criteria. It is therefore suspected that the Best Treatment Approaches For Drug Addiction might incorporate video monitoring technology in the future.

Addressing this complex and growing epidemic requires a multi-pronged approach that includes compassion and appropriate treatment of the underlying issues. Video monitoring is increasingly used to help hospital staff be aware of and prevent potential adverse events in this challenging patient population.

Lisbeth Votruba, MSN, RN, Vice President of Clinical Quality and Innovation at AvaSure