CADTH has published new evidence and guidance on the issue of emergency department (ED) overcrowding. The guidance comes as EDs in Canada continue coping with persistently higher patient volumes, staffing shortages and burnout, and as they brace for a potential influx of visits during respiratory virus season.
This study analyzed trends in prescription opioid use for pain and opioid agonist therapy (OAT) from January 2018 to December 2022 across 6 Canadian provinces. A decline in new and overall prescription opioid use for pain, with higher rates among females, older adults, lower-income, and rural residents was found. Hydromorphone use increased, while oxycodone use decreased. OAT use varied by province, with increases in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba, and stable rates in British Columbia, Ontario, and Quebec. Buprenorphine use rose across all provinces.
It’s been 1 year since CADTH launched the Post-Market Drug Evaluation (PMDE) Program to provide decision-makers with evidence about drugs that have been approved and are already in use by people in Canada. With the PMDE program, CADTH is enhancing how we evaluate drugs across their life cycle and advancing efforts to incorporate real-world evidence into our assessments.
CADTH’s post-market evidence is playing a key role in decision-making about drugs to treat COVID-19.
Today is World Evidence-Based Healthcare Day, a global initiative to raise awareness about the need for better evidence to inform decision-making and improve health outcomes. This year’s theme is Evidence and Global Health Equity. CADTH is proud to support this initiative and share some of our latest insights and work on this important issue.
