Presenters:
Kirsten O’Connor, R.N., B.S.N. Kirsten has been a nurse for 19 years at New England’s largest safety net hospital, Boston Medical Center (BMC). She has 17 years of experience working in the Pediatric ICU, NICU, Pediatric Inpatient, and Pediatric Emergency Department settings. She is a 2023 graduate of the Grayken Addiction Nursing Fellowship. She is also a member of Boston Medical Center’s Substance Use Disorder Council that helps identify needs for professional development; and recommends evidence-based changes to policy and procedure at BMC.
DEEPA R. CAMENGA, MD, MHS. Deepa Camenga is an Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine, Pediatrics, and Public Health (Chronic Disease Epidemiology) at the Yale Schools of Medicine & Public Health. As a physician-scientist board certified in pediatrics and addiction medicine, Dr. Camenga’s research focuses on the etiology, prevention, and treatment of tobacco and substance use disorders in adolescents and young adults. Dr. Camenga is the Associate Program Director for Pediatric Programs within the Yale Program in Addiction Medicine wherein she works on building educational, clinical, and research initiatives that focus on the impact of substances on children and adolescents. She was nominated by the American Academy of Pediatrics to serve as Chair of the national Committee on Substance Use and Prevention, which produces guidance for pediatricians, state, and federal government, and other stakeholders to reduce harm from substance use. As a practicing pediatrician, Dr. Camenga provides care to adolescents and young adults in both primary care and addiction medicine specialty settings. Dr. Camenga completed her medical education and residency training at the University of Rochester. She completed a fellowship in health services research through the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Clinical Scholars Program at Yale.
About: This training will provide nurses with knowledge and skills to help support the care of hospitalized adolescents with opioid use disorder. It will review the underlying complex etiologies of opioid use disorder, its clinical complications (opioid withdrawal and overdose), and medication options. Participants will learn practical skills for initial nursing assessments, bedside care, and medication administration. The training also addresses discharge planning, overdose prevention using naloxone, and unique considerations for adolescents and their families, emphasizing a holistic patient-centered approach to care.
Learning Objectives:
- Understand the clinical presentation of opioid use disorder in adolescents,
- Perform the clinical opioid withdrawal scale to assess opioid withdrawal symptoms.
- Describe three medications for opioid use disorder
- Provide nursing care that reduces stigma and appropriately protects adolescents’ confidentiality