Changes in buprenorphine visits in frontier and remote locations: Effects of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic
Background: The pandemic has changed many aspects of healthcare, including the treatment of people with opioid use disorder with buprenorphine. Prior to the pandemic, rural health disparities existed in the accessibility of this treatment. Rural and frontier areas of the United States, particularly...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2023-06-01
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| Series: | Drug and Alcohol Dependence Reports |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772724623000252 |
| _version_ | 1797801664226263040 |
|---|---|
| author | Lisa M. McFadden |
| author_facet | Lisa M. McFadden |
| author_sort | Lisa M. McFadden |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background: The pandemic has changed many aspects of healthcare, including the treatment of people with opioid use disorder with buprenorphine. Prior to the pandemic, rural health disparities existed in the accessibility of this treatment. Rural and frontier areas of the United States, particularly the Great Plains, had few or no providers of this evidence-based treatment. This study aimed to investigate how access to buprenorphine changed in the Great Plains during the pandemic. Methods: This retrospective observational study compared the number of weekly patient appointments resulting in a buprenorphine prescription for 55 weeks before the start of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and 55 weeks after. Electronic health records of the largest rural health provider in the Great Plains were queried. Patients were categorized as coming from a frontier location or a non-frontier location based on the home address provided at the visit. The USDA defines frontier as communities that are small and distant from urban centers. Time series analysis was utilized to understand changes in weekly visits during this period. Results: A significant increase in weekly buprenorphine visits occurred after the pandemic's start. Further, females and people from frontier locations had significantly higher numbers of buprenorphine visits. Conclusions: In an area of the country with low pre-existing access to buprenorphine treatment for opioid use disorder, increases in buprenorphine visits were found after the pandemic began. This was particularly true of females who reside in frontier areas. Pandemic-related changes may have reduced barriers to this critical treatment, especially among rural populations. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-13T04:53:55Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-cbce205d861b443b879068b4aa9a868c |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2772-7246 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-13T04:53:55Z |
| publishDate | 2023-06-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Drug and Alcohol Dependence Reports |
| spelling | doaj.art-cbce205d861b443b879068b4aa9a868c2023-06-18T05:04:20ZengElsevierDrug and Alcohol Dependence Reports2772-72462023-06-017100155Changes in buprenorphine visits in frontier and remote locations: Effects of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemicLisa M. McFadden0University of South Dakota, 414 E. Clark Street, Vermillion, SD 57069, USABackground: The pandemic has changed many aspects of healthcare, including the treatment of people with opioid use disorder with buprenorphine. Prior to the pandemic, rural health disparities existed in the accessibility of this treatment. Rural and frontier areas of the United States, particularly the Great Plains, had few or no providers of this evidence-based treatment. This study aimed to investigate how access to buprenorphine changed in the Great Plains during the pandemic. Methods: This retrospective observational study compared the number of weekly patient appointments resulting in a buprenorphine prescription for 55 weeks before the start of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and 55 weeks after. Electronic health records of the largest rural health provider in the Great Plains were queried. Patients were categorized as coming from a frontier location or a non-frontier location based on the home address provided at the visit. The USDA defines frontier as communities that are small and distant from urban centers. Time series analysis was utilized to understand changes in weekly visits during this period. Results: A significant increase in weekly buprenorphine visits occurred after the pandemic's start. Further, females and people from frontier locations had significantly higher numbers of buprenorphine visits. Conclusions: In an area of the country with low pre-existing access to buprenorphine treatment for opioid use disorder, increases in buprenorphine visits were found after the pandemic began. This was particularly true of females who reside in frontier areas. Pandemic-related changes may have reduced barriers to this critical treatment, especially among rural populations.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772724623000252BuprenorphinePandemicOpioid use disorderRural health disparities |
| spellingShingle | Lisa M. McFadden Changes in buprenorphine visits in frontier and remote locations: Effects of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic Drug and Alcohol Dependence Reports Buprenorphine Pandemic Opioid use disorder Rural health disparities |
| title | Changes in buprenorphine visits in frontier and remote locations: Effects of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic |
| title_full | Changes in buprenorphine visits in frontier and remote locations: Effects of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic |
| title_fullStr | Changes in buprenorphine visits in frontier and remote locations: Effects of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic |
| title_full_unstemmed | Changes in buprenorphine visits in frontier and remote locations: Effects of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic |
| title_short | Changes in buprenorphine visits in frontier and remote locations: Effects of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic |
| title_sort | changes in buprenorphine visits in frontier and remote locations effects of the sars cov 2 pandemic |
| topic | Buprenorphine Pandemic Opioid use disorder Rural health disparities |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772724623000252 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT lisammcfadden changesinbuprenorphinevisitsinfrontierandremotelocationseffectsofthesarscov2pandemic |