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Table 3 Recommendations from the organizational ethics consult.

From: Self-injecting non-prescribed substances into vascular access devices: a case study of one health system’s ongoing journey from clinical concern to practice and policy response

1. At a minimum, develop a patient education intervention around the risks of self-injection of non-prescribed substances into vascular access devices (SIVAD)

2. Consider an interim SIVAD harm reduction guideline for use in the organization, with expert stakeholder input, and an opt-out option for providers who disagree

3. Continue to develop and promote wraparound care for patients with substance use disorders (Addiction Medicine consultation, social work, and overdose prevention site (OPS) models of care)

4. Study the incidence and outcomes of SIVAD harm reduction within the organization

5. Use a standardized SIVAD chart document to demonstrate patient informed consent

6. Position SIVAD harm reduction in an OPS environment initially to ensure consistency, quality, and research opportunities

7. Develop an education program for clinicians around harm reduction generally, and practices and patient counselling techniques specific to SIVAD

8. Consider additional legal/risk evaluation regarding SIVAD harm reduction

9. Involve partner organizations in the development of guidelines, given the possible impacts to the community

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Harm Reduction Journal

ISSN: 1477-7517