Highlighting the Role of the NP in Withdrawal Management Services

Abstract

 Withdrawal Management Services (WMS) or Withdrawal Management Care (WMC) refers to the medical and psychological care of individuals who are experiencing acute withdrawal symptoms as a result of ceasing or reducing use of their drug of dependence. The goal of WMC is to assist individuals in the mitigation of withdrawal symptoms through medical supervision and access to pharmacological treatment options. Historically, most community-based WMS facilities were developed around a non-medical model and were not resourced to be able to manage medically complex withdrawals. This presents a challenge given that many WMS clients often have complex medical comorbidities associated with their substance use. As a result, clients requiring acute medical care must be transferred to already over-extended emergency departments (EDs). In this paper, we highlight the role and impact of the nurse practitioner within WMS and emphasize the need to deploy more of them into community-based WMS facilities.