Theme 1. Mental health and addictions
- Date: Wednesday, October 24, 2018
- Concurrent Session A
- Time: 2:30-3:15pm
- Room:
- Style: Presentation (information provided to audience, with opportunity for audience to ask question)
- Focus: Practical (e.g. Presentation on how to implement programs and/or practices in the team environment)
- Target Audience: Leadership (ED, clinical lead, board chair, board member, etc.), Clinical providers
Learning Objectives Learning Objectives: The Addictions Counsellor works with patients and their family members suffering from substance abuse and other addictions. The feasibility and impact of such a role was analyzed. This will include:
- An inquiry into the Addictions Counsellor role and how it parallels the mental health service in collaboration with the broader interprofessional health team.
- Outcome measurements such as the Treatment Efficacy Assessment as well as patients’ perceptions and satisfaction with the care they received.
- Observations, enablers and challenges of implementing this role in a primary care setting.
Summary/Abstract Primary health care providers are uniquely situated within the broader system to provide accessible, individualized, and continuous care for individuals with mental health and addictions needs. Specifically, primary health care providers provide assessment, counselling, and referral and are often patients’ first line of contact for their healthcare needs. In Ontario, opioid misuse is one of the leading causes of accidental death. This public safety issue has sparked the government’s commitment to preventing opioid abuse and modernizing pain management practises. Addictions is increasingly being acknowledged as a complex issue requiring a holistic and comprehensive approach. Within our broader quality improvement strategy and organizational commitment to addressing addictions, North York Family Health Team (NYFHT) introduced the role of Addictions Counselor as part of a pilot program within our Mental Health Services team. The NYFHT Addictions Counselor works with patients suffering from substance abuse and other addictions such as gambling. This individual also provides addictions support for family members in a patient centered, holistic approach. In addition to individual counselling, the Addictions Counselor will also support the development of coping and recovery programs. The results of this pilot will provide insight into the feasibility and impact of such a role in a family health team setting. Preliminary quantitative and qualitative outcomes and observations will be shared. In particular, patient outcomes including the Treatment Efficacy Assessment (TEA) score will be examined, as well as an exploration into patient satisfaction and perceptions of this program. Presenters:
- Katrina Demetriou, BA (Hons), ADMH (Hons), CCAC, MACP (Cand.) / Certified Canadian Addictions Counselor, North York Family Health Team
Authors/Contributors:
- Katrina Demetriou, BA (Hons), ADMH (Hons), CCAC, MACP (Cand.) Certified Canadian Addictions Counselor, North York Family Health Team
- Joyce Lo, RN, MN Project Coordinator, North York Family Health Team
- Susan Griffis, RN, MA, DBA, CHE Executive Director, North York Family Health Team