Journal of medical toxicology : official journal of the American College of Medical Toxicology
-
The height of the opioid epidemic in the USA has led to an increasing call for access to medication assisted treatment for opioid use disorder, including buprenorphine initiation from the emergency department (ED). However, only a small percentage of emergency physicians feel prepared or have the necessary training to prescribe buprenorphine. Twitter has increasingly been used as a tool for medical education, and there is growing interest in using this forum to actively engage medical providers and the public. This study examined the views regarding ED initiation of buprenorphine treatment among contributors to the quarterly American College of Medical Toxicology (ACMT) tweetchat, #firesidetox, and the demographics of the participants. ⋯ A tweetchat can be used to disseminate and discuss the adoption of buprenorphine in the ED. Importantly, the tweetchat provides a forum for experts to share narratives and expertise on implementation and barriers and successes in operationalizing buprenorphine administration in emergency departments.