TY - JOUR
T1 - Access to healthcare and harm reduction services during the COVID-19 pandemic for people who use drugs
AU - Stowe, M. J.
AU - Calvey, Tanya
AU - Scheibein, Florian
AU - Arya, Sidharth
AU - Saad, Noha Ahmed
AU - Shirasaka, Tomohiro
AU - Dannatt, Lisa
AU - Ghosh, Abhishek
AU - Yee, Anne
AU - Ratta-Apha, Woraphat
AU - Vadivel, Ramyadarshni
AU - Siste, Kristiana
AU - Shah, Bigya
AU - Ramalho, Rodrigo
AU - Narasimha, Venkata Lakshmi
AU - Delic, Mirjana
AU - Peyron, Eric
AU - Gumikiriza- Onoria, Joy Louise
AU - Pant, Sagun Ballav
AU - Boujraf, Saïd
AU - Grandinetti, Paolo
AU - Morgan, Nirvana
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
Copyright ß 2020 American Society of Addiction Medicine
PY - 2020/11/1
Y1 - 2020/11/1
N2 - Globally, there are concerns about access to healthcare and harm reduction services for people who use drugs (PWUD) during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Members from the Network of Early Career Professionals working in Addiction Medicine shared their experiences of providing treatment to PWUD during the COVID-19 pandemic. Drawing on these qualitative reports, we highlight the similarities and discrepancies in access to services for PWUD in 16 countries under COVID-10 restrictions. In most countries reported here, efforts have been made to ensure continued access to services, such as mobilising opioid agonist maintenance treatment and other essential medicines to patients. However, due to travel restrictions and limited telemedicine services, several Network of Early Career Professionals working in Addiction Medicine members from lower-resourced countries experienced challenges with providing care to their patients during periods of COVID-19 lock-down. The insights provided in this commentary illustrate how the COVID-19 lock-down restrictions have impacted access to services for PWUD.
AB - Globally, there are concerns about access to healthcare and harm reduction services for people who use drugs (PWUD) during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Members from the Network of Early Career Professionals working in Addiction Medicine shared their experiences of providing treatment to PWUD during the COVID-19 pandemic. Drawing on these qualitative reports, we highlight the similarities and discrepancies in access to services for PWUD in 16 countries under COVID-10 restrictions. In most countries reported here, efforts have been made to ensure continued access to services, such as mobilising opioid agonist maintenance treatment and other essential medicines to patients. However, due to travel restrictions and limited telemedicine services, several Network of Early Career Professionals working in Addiction Medicine members from lower-resourced countries experienced challenges with providing care to their patients during periods of COVID-19 lock-down. The insights provided in this commentary illustrate how the COVID-19 lock-down restrictions have impacted access to services for PWUD.
KW - Addiction services
KW - Coronavirus disease 2019
KW - Drug use
KW - Opioid agonist maintenance treatment
KW - People who use drugs
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85095861430&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1097/ADM.0000000000000753
DO - 10.1097/ADM.0000000000000753
M3 - Review article
C2 - 33009167
AN - SCOPUS:85095861430
VL - 14
SP - E287-E289
JO - Journal of Addiction Medicine
JF - Journal of Addiction Medicine
SN - 1932-0620
IS - 6
ER -
