TY - JOUR
T1 - Reorganization of Substance Use Treatment and Harm Reduction Services During the COVID-19 Pandemic
T2 - A Global Survey
AU - ISAM-PPIG Global Survey Consortium
AU - Radfar, Seyed Ramin
AU - De Jong, Cornelis A.J.
AU - Farhoudian, Ali
AU - Ebrahimi, Mohsen
AU - Rafei, Parnian
AU - Vahidi, Mehrnoosh
AU - Yunesian, Masud
AU - Kouimtsidis, Christos
AU - Arunogiri, Shalini
AU - Massah, Omid
AU - Deylamizadeh, Abbas
AU - Brady, Kathleen T.
AU - Busse, Anja
AU - Potenza, Marc N.
AU - Ekhtiari, Hamed
AU - Baldacchino, Alexander Mario
AU - Abagiu, Adrian Octavian
AU - Abouna, Franck David Noel
AU - Ahmed, Mohamed Hassan
AU - Al-ansari, Basma
AU - Mahmmoud Abu Al-khair, Feda
AU - Almaqbali, Mandhar Humaid
AU - Ambekar, Atul
AU - Ardabili, Hossein Mohaddes
AU - Arya, Sidharth
AU - Lasebikan, Victor Olufolahan
AU - Ayasreh, Murad Ali
AU - Basu, Debasish
AU - Benmebarek, Zoubir
AU - Bhad, Roshan
AU - Blaise, Mario
AU - Bonnet, Nicolas
AU - Brasch, Jennifer
AU - Broers, Barbara
AU - Butner, Jenna L.
AU - Camilleri, Moses
AU - Campello, Giovanna
AU - Carra, Giuseppe
AU - Celic, Ivan
AU - Chalabianloo, Fatemeh
AU - Chaturvedi, Abhishek
AU - de Jesús Eduardo Noyola Cherpitel, José
AU - Clark, Kelly J.
AU - Cyders, Melissa Anne
AU - de Bernardis, Ernesto
AU - Derry, John Edward
AU - Dhagudu, Naveen Kumar
AU - Dolezalova, Pavla
AU - Dom, Geert
AU - Siste, Kristiana
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© Copyright © 2021 Radfar, De Jong, Farhoudian, Ebrahimi, Rafei, Vahidi, Yunesian, Kouimtsidis, Arunogiri, Massah, Deylamizadeh, Brady, Busse, ISAM-PPIG Global Survey Consortium, Potenza, Ekhtiari and Baldacchino.
PY - 2021/4/29
Y1 - 2021/4/29
N2 - Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has impacted people with substance use disorders (SUDs) worldwide, and healthcare systems have reorganized their services in response to the pandemic. Methods: One week after the announcement of the COVID-19 as a pandemic, in a global survey, 177 addiction medicine professionals described COVID-19-related health responses in their own 77 countries in terms of SUD treatment and harm reduction services. The health responses were categorized around (1) managerial measures and systems, (2) logistics, (3) service providers, and (4) vulnerable groups. Results: Respondents from over 88% of countries reported that core medical and psychiatric care for SUDs had continued; however, only 56% of countries reported having had any business continuity plan, and 37.5% of countries reported shortages of methadone or buprenorphine supplies. Participants of 41% of countries reported partial discontinuation of harm-reduction services such as needle and syringe programs and condom distribution. Fifty-seven percent of overdose prevention interventions and 81% of outreach services were also negatively impacted. Conclusions: Participants reported that SUD treatment and harm-reduction services had been significantly impacted globally early during the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on our findings, we highlight several issues and complications resulting from the pandemic concerning people with SUDs that should be tackled more efficiently during the future waves or similar pandemics. The issues and potential strategies comprise the following: (1) helping policymakers to generate business continuity plans, (2) maintaining the use of evidence-based interventions for people with SUDs, (3) being prepared for adequate medication supplies, (4) integrating harm reduction programs with other treatment modalities, and (5) having specific considerations for vulnerable groups such as immigrants and refugees.
AB - Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has impacted people with substance use disorders (SUDs) worldwide, and healthcare systems have reorganized their services in response to the pandemic. Methods: One week after the announcement of the COVID-19 as a pandemic, in a global survey, 177 addiction medicine professionals described COVID-19-related health responses in their own 77 countries in terms of SUD treatment and harm reduction services. The health responses were categorized around (1) managerial measures and systems, (2) logistics, (3) service providers, and (4) vulnerable groups. Results: Respondents from over 88% of countries reported that core medical and psychiatric care for SUDs had continued; however, only 56% of countries reported having had any business continuity plan, and 37.5% of countries reported shortages of methadone or buprenorphine supplies. Participants of 41% of countries reported partial discontinuation of harm-reduction services such as needle and syringe programs and condom distribution. Fifty-seven percent of overdose prevention interventions and 81% of outreach services were also negatively impacted. Conclusions: Participants reported that SUD treatment and harm-reduction services had been significantly impacted globally early during the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on our findings, we highlight several issues and complications resulting from the pandemic concerning people with SUDs that should be tackled more efficiently during the future waves or similar pandemics. The issues and potential strategies comprise the following: (1) helping policymakers to generate business continuity plans, (2) maintaining the use of evidence-based interventions for people with SUDs, (3) being prepared for adequate medication supplies, (4) integrating harm reduction programs with other treatment modalities, and (5) having specific considerations for vulnerable groups such as immigrants and refugees.
KW - addiction services
KW - COVID-19 pandemic
KW - drug policy
KW - harm reduction
KW - opioid agonist treatment
KW - public health
KW - substance use disorder
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85106509698&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3389/fpsyt.2021.639393
DO - 10.3389/fpsyt.2021.639393
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85106509698
SN - 1664-0640
VL - 12
JO - Frontiers in Psychiatry
JF - Frontiers in Psychiatry
M1 - 639393
ER -
