A study led by Maggie Lowenstein and Kit Delgado found that a triage screening and treatment protocol helps emergency departments expand care for opioid use disorder (OUD), facilitating identification and treatment of patients with OUD.

In hospitals with the screening program, opioid withdrawal assessments nearly doubled and buprenorphine and naloxone prescriptions increased significantly compared to before the intervention.

Hospitals without the triage protocol were also included in the study. Compared to this control group, withdrawal assessments increased 17% more at intervention sites, and prescriptions for buprenorphine and naloxone at discharge increased by 5% and 12% more, respectively.