Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of emergency department patients who received buprenorphine for opioid withdrawal (N = 77).
| Age in years (median, IQR) | 37 (31–50) |
| Female gender | 20 (26%) |
| Race | |
| Asian | 1 (1%) |
| Black | 23 (30%) |
| Latino/Hispanic | 15 (20%) |
| White | 37 (48%) |
| Unknown | 1 (1%) |
| Chief complaint | |
| Opioid withdrawal, requesting detoxification | 24 (31%) |
| Gastrointestinal upset | 14 (18%) |
| Requesting buprenorphine | 4 (5%) |
| Generalized pain | 2 (3%) |
| Other | 33 (43%) |
| Last opioid used prior to presentation | |
| Heroin | 57 (74%) |
| Buprenorphine | 6 (8%) |
| Methadone | 4 (5%) |
| Oxycodone | 4 (5%) |
| Other | 3 (4%) |
| Unknown | 3 (4%) |
| Time since last opioid use in hours (median, IQR) | |
| Methadone | 84 (60–276) |
| Non-methadone opioids | 24 (13–48) |
| ED length of stay in hours (median, IQR) | 6.1 (4.7–9.0) |
| Withdrawal assessment | |
| SOWS performed | 19 (25%) |
| COWS performed | 43 (56%) |
| No SOWS or COWS performed | 15 (19%) |
| Disposition | |
| Home or self-care | 68 (88%) |
| Jail | 9 (12%) |
| Follow-up at OUD clinic within 1 week | |
| Yes | 23 (30%) |
IQR, interquartile range; SOWS, short opiate withdrawal scale; COWS, Clinical Opiate Withdrawal Scale; OUD, opioid use disorder.