Substance use disorders and COVID-19: reflections on international research and practice changes during the “poly-crisis”
Since March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a disproportionately high toll on vulnerable populations, coinciding with increased prevalence of alcohol-and drug-related deaths and pre-existing societal issues such as rising income inequality and homelessness. This poly-crisis has posed unique chal...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2023-07-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Public Health |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1201967/full |
| _version_ | 1797778013829464064 |
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| author | Hannah Carver Teodora Ciolompea Anna Conway Carolin Kilian Rebecca McDonald Andia Meksi Marcin Wojnar Marcin Wojnar |
| author_facet | Hannah Carver Teodora Ciolompea Anna Conway Carolin Kilian Rebecca McDonald Andia Meksi Marcin Wojnar Marcin Wojnar |
| author_sort | Hannah Carver |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Since March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a disproportionately high toll on vulnerable populations, coinciding with increased prevalence of alcohol-and drug-related deaths and pre-existing societal issues such as rising income inequality and homelessness. This poly-crisis has posed unique challenges to service delivery for people with substance use disorders, and innovative approaches have emerged. In this Perspectives paper we reflect on the poly-crisis and the changes to research and practice for those experiencing substance use disorders, following work undertaken as part of the InterGLAM project (part of the 2022. Lisbon Addictions conference). The authors, who were part of an InterGLAM working group, identified a range of creative and novel responses by gathering information from conference attendees about COVID-19-related changes to substance use disorder treatment in their countries. In this paper we describe these responses across a range of countries, focusing on changes to telehealth, provision of medications for opioid use disorder and alcohol harm reduction, as well as changes to how research was conducted. Implications include better equity in access to technology and secure data systems; increased prescribed safer supply in countries where this currently does not exist; flexible provision of medication for opioid use disorder; scale up of alcohol harm reduction for people with alcohol use disorders; greater involvement of people with lived/living experience in research; and additional support for research in low- and middle-income countries. The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the addictions field and there are lessons for ongoing and emerging crises. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T23:11:14Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-1a34a2446fca4a49aece639783f6a729 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2296-2565 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T23:11:14Z |
| publishDate | 2023-07-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Public Health |
| spelling | doaj.art-1a34a2446fca4a49aece639783f6a7292023-07-18T01:01:14ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Public Health2296-25652023-07-011110.3389/fpubh.2023.12019671201967Substance use disorders and COVID-19: reflections on international research and practice changes during the “poly-crisis”Hannah Carver0Teodora Ciolompea1Anna Conway2Carolin Kilian3Rebecca McDonald4Andia Meksi5Marcin Wojnar6Marcin Wojnar7Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling, United KingdomDrug Addiction Evaluation and Treatment Center, Saint Stelian, Bucharest, RomaniaThe Kirby Institute, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, AustraliaCentre for Addiction and Mental Health, Institute for Mental Health Policy Research, Toronto, ON, CanadaNorwegian Centre for Addiction Research (SERAF), Institute of Clinical Medicine, Oslo University, Oslo, NorwayNational Institute of Public Health, Tirana, AlbaniaDepartment of Psychiatry, Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, PolandDepartment of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United StatesSince March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a disproportionately high toll on vulnerable populations, coinciding with increased prevalence of alcohol-and drug-related deaths and pre-existing societal issues such as rising income inequality and homelessness. This poly-crisis has posed unique challenges to service delivery for people with substance use disorders, and innovative approaches have emerged. In this Perspectives paper we reflect on the poly-crisis and the changes to research and practice for those experiencing substance use disorders, following work undertaken as part of the InterGLAM project (part of the 2022. Lisbon Addictions conference). The authors, who were part of an InterGLAM working group, identified a range of creative and novel responses by gathering information from conference attendees about COVID-19-related changes to substance use disorder treatment in their countries. In this paper we describe these responses across a range of countries, focusing on changes to telehealth, provision of medications for opioid use disorder and alcohol harm reduction, as well as changes to how research was conducted. Implications include better equity in access to technology and secure data systems; increased prescribed safer supply in countries where this currently does not exist; flexible provision of medication for opioid use disorder; scale up of alcohol harm reduction for people with alcohol use disorders; greater involvement of people with lived/living experience in research; and additional support for research in low- and middle-income countries. The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the addictions field and there are lessons for ongoing and emerging crises.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1201967/fulldrugsalcoholpandemicaddictionstreatment serviceopioids |
| spellingShingle | Hannah Carver Teodora Ciolompea Anna Conway Carolin Kilian Rebecca McDonald Andia Meksi Marcin Wojnar Marcin Wojnar Substance use disorders and COVID-19: reflections on international research and practice changes during the “poly-crisis” Frontiers in Public Health drugs alcohol pandemic addictions treatment service opioids |
| title | Substance use disorders and COVID-19: reflections on international research and practice changes during the “poly-crisis” |
| title_full | Substance use disorders and COVID-19: reflections on international research and practice changes during the “poly-crisis” |
| title_fullStr | Substance use disorders and COVID-19: reflections on international research and practice changes during the “poly-crisis” |
| title_full_unstemmed | Substance use disorders and COVID-19: reflections on international research and practice changes during the “poly-crisis” |
| title_short | Substance use disorders and COVID-19: reflections on international research and practice changes during the “poly-crisis” |
| title_sort | substance use disorders and covid 19 reflections on international research and practice changes during the poly crisis |
| topic | drugs alcohol pandemic addictions treatment service opioids |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1201967/full |
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