In Hospital Use Guidelines

Our Addiction Medicine physicians and providers helped develop clinical practice guidelines to inform best practices for managing substance use in the hospital setting.

Addressing In-Hospital Substance Use in Patients with Substance Use Disorders: Clinical Practice Guidelines
Penn Presbyterian Medical Center (Effective February 7, 2024)

Patients in the hospital sometimes use substances, often in response to untreated substance use disorders, psychiatric conditions, withdrawal, pain, stress, or stigma. To help care teams respond consistently and compassionately, CAMP’s addiction medicine physicians and providers worked with experts in hospital, emergency, and family medicine, social work, and nursing, along with input from security, legal, and administration, to develop clinical practice guidelines for Penn Presbyterian Medical Center.

The guidelines clarify the roles and responsibilities of care team members when treating patients with substance use disorders who use, or are at risk of using, substances during their admission. Their goals are to:

Ensure a safe environment for staff, patients, and families
Promote respect for all patients through a non-judgmental approach
Standardize care to promote equity
Prevent the harms associated with in-hospital substance use

Penn Medicine staff seeking the full guideline can contact CAMP at penncamp@pennmedicine.upenn.edu.