New tools from UBC Nursing aim to improve care for people experiencing substance use stigma – News

A version of this article originally appeared on UBC News.

Stigma and discrimination associated with substance use, known as substance use stigma, directly contribute to significant harm and barriers to treatment. Due to widespread negative attitudes towards drug problems, healthcare workers are often treated with disrespect or discrimination.

Now a team of researchers from UBC’s Faculty of Applied Sciences and Western University is offering a range of tools and strategies to ensure people suffering the stigma of substance use get better care in the future.

“Stigma and discrimination make it difficult for people to seek help, particularly if they are indigenous or believed to have a history of drug use,” says Dr. Colleen Varcoe, senior researcher and professor emeritus at the UBC School of Nursing. “They expect to be judged, disrespected, or denied care because they are believed to be faking it or looking for drugs.”

The new tools, strategies and resources, called the EQUIP Equity Action Kitcontain:

• Organizational planning tools and testimonials to help organizations self-assess on substance use health, and actions to combat stigma and reduce racism toward Indigenous peoples and other people who are the targets of discrimination.
• Videos and tools highlighting the impact of substance use stigma and how to implement strategies to address it, including identifying treatment barriers and changing stigmatizing language.
• Self-paced e-learning modules on what gender-responsive healthcare means and how healthcare professionals can deliver their services trauma- and violence-informed and culturally safe

“The Action Kit supports collaboration with people with experiences of stigma and poor care, which means their voices are always heard and prioritized,” says Dr. Nadine Wathen, co-leader of the project, Professor at the Arthur Labatt Family School of Nursing at Western University. “These tools support large-scale implementation efforts to accelerate organizational and systemic change to improve health and human services and health outcomes.”

The project is part of Equip Health Care, a key initiative of the EQUIP research program at UBC, Western and University of Northern British Columbia, which develops initiatives to improve health equity in healthcare and social settings.

“We partnered with health and human services providers and people with lived experience to develop guidance, strategies and resources to improve ways of caring for people who suffer the stigma of substance use and similar types of discrimination. A key goal is to help organizations, staff and providers provide non-judgmental care that encourages people to seek help when they need it — not avoid seeking help,” says the co- Project leader, Dr. Annette Browne, a professor of nursing at UBC.

Project partners include the Community Addictions Peer Support Association (CAPSA), a national organization committed to ensuring that people without stigma or discrimination have equal access to services and support when managing the health of their drug use.

“Together with EQUIP, we are creating tools, powered by our lived experience, to eliminate stigma and the harm it causes,” said Gord Garner, vice president of strategic partnerships at CAPSA. “Put simply, Equip Health Care is leading the way by working in true partnership to create resources that have the power to transform the way we care and support people with compassion.” Garner encourages all healthcare providers to use these Seize the opportunity and use the tools to improve their care for those working to achieve substance use health.

Other project partners include Pain BC, Kílala Lelum, the London InterCommunity Health Center and the Vancouver Community Action Team. The team has made a French adaptation of selected tools and is seeking further funding to translate the full package of actions.