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Ivasiy R, Madden LM, DiDomizio E, Johnson KA, Machavariani E, Ahmad B, Oliveros D, Ram A, Kil N, Altice FL. The cascade of care for commercially-insured persons with opioid use disorder and comorbid HIV and HCV infections. Drug Alcohol Depend 2024; 263:112410. [PMID: 39159600 DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2024.112410] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2024] [Revised: 07/17/2024] [Accepted: 08/06/2024] [Indexed: 08/21/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Opioid use disorder (OUD) significantly impacts individual and public health and exacerbated further by concurrent infectious diseases. A syndemic approach is needed to address the intertwined OUD, HIV, and HCV epidemics, including the expanded use of medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD). METHODS To identify MOUD scale-up opportunities, we conducted a retrospective cohort study, representing commercially insured persons, and created the OUD care continuum, including HIV and HCV influences in adults (18-64 years) newly diagnosed with OUD in 2019 using Merative MarketSan data. RESULTS Among 124,467,633 individuals, the prevalence of OUD was 0.4 % (95 % CI: 0.36 %-0.46 %; N = 497,871), with 327,277 (65.7 %, 95 % CI: 65.60 %-65.87 %) newly diagnosed in 2019. Among these newly diagnosed individuals (54 % men, mean age 44±0.01), 53,568 (27.0 %, 95 % CI: 26.4 %-27.5 %) were prescribed MOUD, with retention rates at 1, 3, and 6 months being 89.0 % (95 % CI: 88.2 %-89.8 %), 66.0 % (95 % CI: 64.8 %-67.2 %), and 50.3 % (95 % CI: 48.3 %-51.6 %), respectively. Buprenorphine was the most prescribed MOUD (79.6 %, 95 % CI: 78.6 %-80.7 %), followed by XR-NTX (14.9 %, 95 % CI:14.0 %-15.8 %) and methadone (5.5 %, 95 % CI: 4.9 %-6.1 %). Six-month retention was highest for methadone (73.4 %, 95 % CI: 73.0 %-73.8 %), however, followed by buprenorphine (55.7 %, 95 % CI: 55.3 %-57.1 %) and substantially lower for XR-NTX (12.6 %, 95 % CI: 10.6 %-14.6 %). Screening for HIV and HCV was low among OUD enrollees (11.1 %, 14.4 %), slightly higher for MOUD initiators (18.0 %, 21.6 %). Being prescribed MOUD was correlated with HCV infection (AOR: 2.54; 95 % CI: 2.41-2.68), HCV/HIV coinfection (AOR: 1.89; 95 % CI: 1.41-2.53), and hospitalization for OUD-related services (AOR: 1.14; 95 % CI: 1.11-1.17), yet hospitalization for OUD-related services was positively correlated with XR-NTX (AOR: 2.72; 95 % CI: 2.56-2.85) prescription and negatively with methadone (AOR: 0.19; 95 % CI: 0.16-0.23) prescription. Having HIV was negatively correlated with being prescribed methadone (AOR: 0.33; 95 % CI: 0.13-0.86). CONCLUSIONS Substantial gaps in the OUD cascade persist, underscoring better implementation opportunities for MOUD prescription in hospital-based settings and expanding access to methadone beyond highly regulated sites given its low coverage yet high treatment retention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roman Ivasiy
- Yale School of Medicine, Section of Infectious Diseases, New Haven, CT, United States.
| | - Lynn M Madden
- Yale School of Medicine, Section of Infectious Diseases, New Haven, CT, United States; APT Foundation, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - Elizabeth DiDomizio
- Yale School of Medicine, Section of Infectious Diseases, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - Kimberly A Johnson
- College of Behavioral and Community Science, Department of Mental Health Law and Policy, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, United States
| | - Eteri Machavariani
- Yale School of Medicine, Section of Infectious Diseases, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - Bachar Ahmad
- Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - David Oliveros
- Yale School of Medicine, Section of Infectious Diseases, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - A Ram
- Yale School of Medicine, Section of Infectious Diseases, New Haven, CT, United States; Program in Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, Yale University, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - Natalie Kil
- Yale School of Medicine, Section of Infectious Diseases, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - Frederick L Altice
- Yale School of Medicine, Section of Infectious Diseases, New Haven, CT, United States; APT Foundation, New Haven, CT, United States; Center for Interdisciplinary Research on AIDS, Yale University, New Haven, CT, United States; Program in Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, Yale University, New Haven, CT, United States; Yale School of Public Health, Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, New Haven, CT, United States.
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Machavariani E, Dumchev K, Pykalo I, Filippovych M, Ivasiy R, Esserman D, Madden LM, Bromberg DJ, Haddad M, Morozova O, Ahmad B, Gómez DO, Farnum SO, Dvoriak S, Altice FL. Design and implementation of a Type-2 hybrid, prospective randomized trial of opioid agonist therapies integration into primary care clinics in Ukraine. Contemp Clin Trials 2024; 146:107690. [PMID: 39265780 DOI: 10.1016/j.cct.2024.107690] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2024] [Revised: 08/28/2024] [Accepted: 09/09/2024] [Indexed: 09/14/2024]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Ukraine has high HIV prevalence, concentrated among people who inject drugs (PWID), mostly of opioids. Maintenance on opioid agonist therapies (OAT) is the most effective evidence-based treatment for opioid use disorder. As PWID experience high morbidity and mortality from preventable and treatable non-communicable diseases, international agencies recommend integrating OAT into primary care centers (PCC). METHODS A randomized, type-2 hybrid implementation trial was carried out to compare outcomes of OAT integration in PCC to OAT delivery at specialty treatment centers (STC) - standard-of-care. Tele-education supporting PCC providers in managing OAT, HIV, tuberculosis and non-communicable diseases along with pay-for-performance incentives were used to facilitate implementation. Consenting patients underwent 1:2 randomization to either STC or PCC. Quality health indicators (QHIs), a composite percentage of recommended primary and specialty services accessed by patients (blood/urine tests, cancer screenings, etc.), were defined as efficacy outcomes and were assessed by participant self-report at baseline and every 6 months over 24 months and electronic chart reviews after the completion of the follow-up. The primary outcome is defined as the difference in composite QHI scores at 24 months, in which a repeated measures likelihood-based mixed model with missing at random assumptions will be used. Providers at PCC completed surveys at baseline, 12 and 24 months to assess implementation outcomes including changes in stigma and attitudes towards OAT and PWID. PRELIMINARY RESULTS Among the 1459 participants allocated to STC (N = 509) or PCC (N = 950), there were no differences in clinical and demographic characteristics. Self-reported prevalences were available for HIV (42 %), HCV (57 %), and prior tuberculosis (17 %). Study retention at 6, 12, 18, and 24 months was as 91 %, 85 %, 80 %, and 74 %, respectively. CONCLUSION PWID have a high prevalence of medical comorbidities and integrating OAT into primary care settings has the potential to improve the health of PWID. Findings from this study can help guide implementation of integrated care in Ukraine and throughout similar low-resource, high-burden countries in the Eastern European and Central Asian region.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eteri Machavariani
- Section of Infectious Diseases, Yale School of Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, CT, United States of America.
| | | | - Iryna Pykalo
- European Institute of Public Health Policy, Kyiv, Ukraine
| | | | - Roman Ivasiy
- Section of Infectious Diseases, Yale School of Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, CT, United States of America
| | - Denise Esserman
- Department of Biostatistics, Yale School of Public Health, Yale University, New Haven, CT, United States of America
| | - Lynn M Madden
- Section of Infectious Diseases, Yale School of Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, CT, United States of America; APT Foundation, New Haven, CT, United States of America
| | - Daniel J Bromberg
- Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Yale School of Public Health, Yale University, New Haven, CT, United States of America; Center for Interdisciplinary Research on AIDS, Yale University, New Haven, CT, United States of America; Heidelberg Institute of Global Health, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany; Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Marwan Haddad
- Center for Key Populations, Community Health Center Inc, Middletown, CT, United States of America
| | - Olga Morozova
- Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States of America
| | - Bachar Ahmad
- Section of Infectious Diseases, Yale School of Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, CT, United States of America
| | - David Oliveros Gómez
- Section of Infectious Diseases, Yale School of Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, CT, United States of America
| | | | - Sergii Dvoriak
- Ukrainian Institute on Public Health Policy, Kyiv, Ukraine
| | - Frederick L Altice
- Section of Infectious Diseases, Yale School of Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, CT, United States of America; Center for Interdisciplinary Research on AIDS, Yale University, New Haven, CT, United States of America; Division of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, United States of America
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Ivasiy R, Madden LM, Meteliuk A, Machavariani E, Ahmad B, Zelenev A, Desai MM, Bromberg DJ, Polonsky M, Galvez de Leon SJ, Farnum SO, Islam Z, Altice FL. The impact of emergency guidance to the COVID-19 pandemic on treatment entry, retention and mortality among patients on methadone in Ukraine. Addiction 2024; 119:1585-1596. [PMID: 38807448 DOI: 10.1111/add.16565] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2023] [Accepted: 04/24/2024] [Indexed: 05/30/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Ukraine's Ministry of Health released urgent COVID-19 guidelines, allowing for early implementation of take-home dosing (THD) for opioid agonist therapies (OAT) such as methadone. Enrollment in OAT and retention in the program are the most effective HIV prevention strategies for people who inject drugs (PWID). This study aimed to evaluate the impact of Ukraine's COVID-19 emergency guidance on OAT treatment enrollment, retention on treatment and mortality. DESIGN AND SETTING Using Ukraine's national OAT registry for 252 governmental clinics across 25 regions, we conducted a 12-month comparative prospective cohort survival analysis. This study compared newly enrolled methadone patients within the initial 6 months following the COVID-19 guidance (COVID) with patients from the preceding year (pre-COVID) in a country with high adult HIV prevalence (1.2%) that is concentrated in PWID. PARTICIPANTS In the nation-wide sample of newly enrolled PWID in Ukraine, comprising 2798 individuals, 1423 were in the COVID cohort and 1375 were in the pre-COVID cohort. The majority were male (86.7%), with an average age of 39.3 years. MEASUREMENTS Primary outcomes were average monthly enrollment per cohort, treatment retention and mortality, with internal time-dependent predictors, including THD and optimal (> 85 mg) methadone dosing. RESULTS Relative to the pre-COVID period, the monthly average patient enrollment was statistically significantly higher during the COVID period (283.7 versus 236.0; P < 0.0001), where patients were more likely to transition to THD and achieve optimal dosing earlier. Significant differences were observed in the proportions of person-months on THD (41 versus 13%, P < 0.0001) and optimal dosing (38 versus 31%, P < 0.0001) between the COVID and pre-COVID cohorts. Predictors of treatment retention, expressed as adjusted hazard ratios (aHR), included early THD [aHR = 1.90, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.47-2.45], early optimal dosing (aHR = 1.71, 95% CI = 1.37-2.13) and prior methadone treatment (aHR = 1.39, 95% CI = 1.15-1.68). These factors persisted, respectively, in the pre-COVID (aHR = 2.28, 95% CI = 1.41-3.70; aHR = 1.84, 95% CI = 1.32-2.56; and aHR = 1.36, 95% CI = 1.06-1.74) and COVID (aHR = 1.91, 95% CI = 1.40-2.59; aHR = 1.61, 95% CI = 1.20-2.16; and aHR = 1.49, 95% CI = 1.08-1.94) cohorts. Survival did not differ significantly between the two prospective cohorts. CONCLUSION Ukraine's prompt adoption of early take-home dosing for opioid agonist therapies, such as methadone, following the emergency COVID-19 guidance appears to have increased enrollment into methadone and improved treatment retention for people who inject drugs without adverse effects on patient survival.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roman Ivasiy
- Section of Infectious Diseases, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Lynn M Madden
- Section of Infectious Diseases, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- APT Foundation, New Haven, CT, USA
| | | | - Eteri Machavariani
- Section of Infectious Diseases, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | | | - Alexei Zelenev
- Section of Infectious Diseases, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Mayur M Desai
- Department of Chronic Disease Epidemiology, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Daniel J Bromberg
- Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, USA
- Center for Interdisciplinary Research on AIDS, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Maxim Polonsky
- Section of Infectious Diseases, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | | | | | | | - Frederick L Altice
- Section of Infectious Diseases, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- APT Foundation, New Haven, CT, USA
- Center for Interdisciplinary Research on AIDS, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
- Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, USA
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Meteliuk A, Sazonova Y, Goldmann E, Xu S, Liutyi V, Liakh T, Spirina T, Lekholetova M, Islam Z, Ompad DC. The impact of the 2014 military conflict in the east of Ukraine and the Autonomous Republic of the Crimea among patients receiving opioid agonist therapies. JOURNAL OF SUBSTANCE USE AND ADDICTION TREATMENT 2024; 160:209312. [PMID: 38336264 PMCID: PMC11413855 DOI: 10.1016/j.josat.2024.209312] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2023] [Revised: 01/26/2024] [Accepted: 02/04/2024] [Indexed: 02/12/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Opioid agonist therapies (OAT) for people with opioid use disorders (OUD) have been available in Ukraine since 2004. This study assessed the effect of 2014 Russian invasion of Ukraine on OAT re-enrollment and retention in conflict areas. METHODS We analyzed the Ukraine national registry of OAT patients containing 1868 people with OUD receiving OAT as of January 2014 in conflict areas (Donetsk, Luhansk, and the Autonomous Republic [AR] of the Crimea). We developed logistic regression models to assess the correlates of re-enrollment of OAT patients in government-controlled areas (GCA) from conflict areas and retention on OAT at 12 months after re-enrollment. RESULTS Overall, 377 (20.2 %) patients were re-enrolled at an OAT site in a GCA from confict areas, of whom 182 (48.3 %) were retained on OAT through 2021. Correlates of re-enrollment were residing in Donetsk (adjusted odds ratios (aOR) = 7.06; 95 % CI: 4.97-10.20) or Luhansk (aOR = 6.20; 95 % CI: 4.38-8.93) vs. AR Crimea; age 18-34 (aOR = 2.03; 95 % CI: 1.07-3.96) or 35-44 (aOR = 2.09; 95 % CI: 1.24-3.71) vs. ≥55 years, and being on optimal (aOR = 1.78; 95 % CI: 1.33-2.39) or high OAT dosing (aOR = 2.76; 95 % CI: 1.93-3.96) vs. low dosing. Correlates of retention were drug use experience 15-19 years (aOR = 3.69; 95 % CI: 1.47-9.49) vs. <14 years of drug use; take-home (aOR = 3.42; 95 % CI: 1.99-5.96) vs. daily on-site dosing, and optimal (aOR = 2.19; 95 % CI:1.05-4.72) vs. low OAT dosing. CONCLUSION Our study showed that one-fifth of patients were re-enrolled at sites in GCA areas, less than half of re-enrolled patients were retained. Disruption of OAT has implications for drug-, HIV-, and HCV-related morbidity and mortality. FUNDING AM was funded by NIH-funded grant D43TW010562; DCO was funded by the NIDA-funded Center for Drug Use and HIV|HCV Research (P30DA011041).
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Meteliuk
- Alliance for Public Health, Kyiv, Ukraine; Department of Social Pedagogy and Social Work, Borys Grinchenko Kyiv University, Kyiv, Ukraine.
| | - Yana Sazonova
- Division of Global HIV and TB, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Kyiv, Ukraine
| | - Emily Goldmann
- Department of Epidemiology, NYU School of Global Public Health, New York, NY, USA; Center for Drug Use and HIV|HCV Research, NYU School of Global Public Health, New York, NY, USA
| | - Shu Xu
- Department of Biostatistics, NYU School of Global Public Health, New York, NY, USA
| | - Vadym Liutyi
- Department of Social Pedagogy and Social Work, Borys Grinchenko Kyiv University, Kyiv, Ukraine
| | - Tetiana Liakh
- Department of Social Pedagogy and Social Work, Borys Grinchenko Kyiv University, Kyiv, Ukraine
| | - Tetiana Spirina
- Department of Social Pedagogy and Social Work, Borys Grinchenko Kyiv University, Kyiv, Ukraine
| | - Maryna Lekholetova
- Department of Social Pedagogy and Social Work, Borys Grinchenko Kyiv University, Kyiv, Ukraine
| | | | - Danielle C Ompad
- Department of Epidemiology, NYU School of Global Public Health, New York, NY, USA; Center for Drug Use and HIV|HCV Research, NYU School of Global Public Health, New York, NY, USA
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Semenova Y, Lim L, Salpynov Z, Gaipov A, Jakovljevic M. Historical evolution of healthcare systems of post-soviet Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Armenia, and Azerbaijan: A scoping review. Heliyon 2024; 10:e29550. [PMID: 38655295 PMCID: PMC11036062 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e29550] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2023] [Revised: 03/31/2024] [Accepted: 04/09/2024] [Indexed: 04/26/2024] Open
Abstract
This scoping review addresses the transformation and development of new healthcare systems in nine countries -Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan over the period following the collapse of the Soviet Union from 1991 to the present. This assessment focuses on maternal and child health, mental health, communicable diseases, and non-communicable diseases in an effort to highlight the changes in the healthcare status of these nine countries under scrutiny. Considering that all the post-Soviet nations are officially recognized members of the World Health Organization (WHO) and have demonstrated their commitment to attaining the WHO's objectives, the evaluation of healthcare system progress and improvement was carried out utilizing indicators provided by the WHO. This review reveals that the evolution of healthcare systems could be considered sustainable, given that average life expectancy has returned to the level it was in 1991- the year of the USSR's breakup, and people's health has improved since the turn of the twenty-first century. To enhance the potential success of future healthcare reforms, however, governments must monitor implementation of the reform process, evaluate the achievement of objectives, and make necessary adjustments. The success of future healthcare changes will depend on the active involvement of the government, medical community, and patient community, as well as obtaining the support of local health authorities. This study may help identify successful and failed strategies, guiding future healthcare changes and investments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuliya Semenova
- Nazarbayev University, School of Medicine, Astana, Kazakhstan
| | - Lisa Lim
- Nazarbayev University, Graduate School of Public Policy, Astana, Kazakhstan
| | | | | | - Mihajlo Jakovljevic
- UNESCO-TWAS, Trieste, Italy
- Shaanxi University of Technology, Hanzhong, China
- Department of Global Health Economics and Policy, University of Kragujevac, 34000, Kragujevac, Serbia
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Ahmad A, Bromberg DJ, Shrestha R, Salleh NM, Bazazi AR, Kamarulzaman A, Shenoi S, Altice FL. Higher methadone dose at time of release from prison predicts linkage to maintenance treatment for people with HIV and opioid use disorder transitioning to the community in Malaysia. THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF DRUG POLICY 2024; 126:104369. [PMID: 38484531 PMCID: PMC11056294 DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2024.104369] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2023] [Revised: 02/14/2024] [Accepted: 02/22/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Incarcerated people with HIV and opioid-dependence often experience poor post-release outcomes in the absence of methadone maintenance treatment (MMT). In a prospective trial, we assessed the impact of methadone dose achieved within prison on linkage to MMT after release. METHODS From 2010 to 2014, men with HIV (N = 212) and opioid dependence before incarceration were enrolled in MMT within 6 months of release from Malaysia's largest prison and followed for 12-months post-release. As a prospective trial, allocation to MMT was at random and later by preference design (predictive nonetheless). MMT dosing was individually targeted to minimally achieve 80 mg/day. Time-to-event analyses were conducted to model linkage to MMT after release. FINDINGS Of the 212 participants allocated to MMT, 98 (46 %) were prescribed higher dosages (≥80 mg/day) before release. Linkage to MMT after release occurred in 77 (36 %) participants and significantly higher for those prescribed higher dosages (46% vs 28 %; p = 0.011). Factors associated with higher MMT dosages were being married, on antiretroviral therapy, longer incarceration periods, having higher levels of depression, and methadone preference compared to randomization. After controlling for other variables, being prescribed higher methadone dosage (aHR: 2.53, 95 %CI: 1.42-4.49) was the only independent predictor of linkage to methadone after release. INTERPRETATION Higher doses of methadone prescribed before release increased the likelihood of linkage to MMT after release. Methadone dosing should be introduced into international guidelines for treatment of opioid use disorder in prisons and further post-release benefits should be explored. FUNDING National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA).
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahsan Ahmad
- Yale University School of Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Infectious Diseases, AIDS Program, New Haven, CT, USA; Centre of Excellence for Research in AIDS (CERiA), Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Daniel J Bromberg
- Yale University School of Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Infectious Diseases, AIDS Program, New Haven, CT, USA; Yale University School of Public Health, Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Roman Shrestha
- University of Connecticut, Department of Allied Health Sciences, Storrs, CT, USA
| | - Na Mohd Salleh
- Centre of Excellence for Research in AIDS (CERiA), Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; University of Malaya, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Alexander R Bazazi
- Yale University School of Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Infectious Diseases, AIDS Program, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Adeeba Kamarulzaman
- Yale University School of Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Infectious Diseases, AIDS Program, New Haven, CT, USA; Centre of Excellence for Research in AIDS (CERiA), Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; University of Malaya, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Sheela Shenoi
- Yale University School of Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Infectious Diseases, AIDS Program, New Haven, CT, USA; Centre of Excellence for Research in AIDS (CERiA), Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Frederick L Altice
- Yale University School of Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Infectious Diseases, AIDS Program, New Haven, CT, USA; Centre of Excellence for Research in AIDS (CERiA), Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Yale University School of Public Health, Department Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, New Haven, CT, USA.
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Noya A, Anat S, Shaul S, Miriam A, Einat P. Outcome in methadone maintenance treatment of immigrants from the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. Harm Reduct J 2024; 21:55. [PMID: 38429780 PMCID: PMC10905817 DOI: 10.1186/s12954-024-00970-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2023] [Accepted: 02/22/2024] [Indexed: 03/03/2024] Open
Abstract
CONTEXT Immigrants from the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) are more prevalent in Methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) in Israel than their percentage in the general population. AIMS To compare their characteristics and outcomes to those of Israeli-born and other immigrant patients. METHODS Retention and survival since admission (June/1993-Dec/2022) until leaving treatment (for retention), or at the end of follow-up were analyzed. Vital data was taken from a national registry. Predictors were estimated using Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression models. RESULTS The USSR patients (N = 262) compared with other immigrants (N = 132) and Israeli-born (N = 696) were more educated (≥ 12y) (p < 0.001), admitted to MMT at a younger age (p < 0.001), following a shorter duration of opioid usage (p < 0.001). More of them ever injected drugs (p < 0.001) and ever drank alcohol (p < 0.001). One-year retention was comparable (77.2% vs. 75.6% and 72%, p = 0.2) as did opioid discontinuation in those who stayed (p = 0.2). Former USSR patients had longer cumulative retention of their first admission (p = 0.05) with comparable overall retention since first admission, and survival, although the age of death was younger. Specific origin within the former USSR found immigrants from the Russian Federation with the best outcome, and those from Ukraine as having high HIV seropositive and shorter retention. CONCLUSIONS Despite several characteristics known to be associated with poor outcomes, former USSR immigrants showed better adherence to MMT, reflected by their longer cumulative retention in their first admission, lower rate of readmissions, and a comparable survival and overall retention in treatment. An in depth study is needed in order to understand why they decease at a younger age.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ayali Noya
- Dr. Miriam and Sheldon G. Adelson Clinic for Drug Abuse, Treatment and Research, Tel-Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel Aviv, Israel
- Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Sason Anat
- Dr. Miriam and Sheldon G. Adelson Clinic for Drug Abuse, Treatment and Research, Tel-Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Schreiber Shaul
- Dr. Miriam and Sheldon G. Adelson Clinic for Drug Abuse, Treatment and Research, Tel-Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel Aviv, Israel
- Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
- Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Adelson Miriam
- Dr. Miriam and Sheldon G. Adelson Clinic for Drug Abuse, Treatment and Research, Tel-Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Peles Einat
- Dr. Miriam and Sheldon G. Adelson Clinic for Drug Abuse, Treatment and Research, Tel-Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel Aviv, Israel.
- Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
- Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
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Dubov A, Basenko A, Dymaretskyi O, Shoptaw S. Impact of the Russian invasion on opioid agonist therapy programs in Ukraine: A qualitative study. Drug Alcohol Depend 2024; 255:111069. [PMID: 38159338 PMCID: PMC10872541 DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2023.111069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2023] [Revised: 12/02/2023] [Accepted: 12/15/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Opioid Agonist Treatment (OAT) combines opioid agonist medications with counseling and therapy for a whole-patient approach to treating opioid use disorder. The war in Ukraine threatened the continuity of care and well-being of individuals receiving OAT. This study aimed to capture patients' experiences accessing OAT during the war in Ukraine to provide insights that can inform and improve the programs that serve them. METHODS In October - November 2022, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 17 OAT patients who are peer advocates in the Ukrainian Patient Network VOLNA. All interviews were conducted virtually via Zoom, recorded, and transcribed. Through thematic analysis, we generated codes from the transcripts, iteratively using both inductive and deductive approaches. RESULTS The qualitative interviews revealed four themes: 1) 'medication,' focusing on concerns about availability, dosage, and quality of OAT; 2) 'patient barriers,' discussing access challenges for specific patient groups, such as refugees or patients living under the occupation; 3) 'clinic-level challenges,' involving dosing adequacy, treatment continuity, patient volume, and clinician stigma, and 4) 'regulatory inflexibility,' describing uneven implementation of regulations and increased policing to receive OAT during the war. CONCLUSION Our study emphasizes the importance of adapting OAT programs in Ukraine to better serve vulnerable patients affected by the war. The Russian invasion has severely disrupted OAT provision, increasing the risks of opioid withdrawal, overdose, and diversion. By understanding patients' experiences, treatment preferences, and barriers to care, OAT programs can provide continuity of care to those in need.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alex Dubov
- Loma Linda University, School of Behavioral Health, Griggs Hall, 11065 Campus St, Loma Linda, CA 92350, USA.
| | - Anton Basenko
- European AIDS Treatment Group, Av. des Arts 56, Bruxelles 1000, Belgium.
| | - Oleg Dymaretskyi
- Ukrainian Network of People who Use Drugs (VOLNA), Builders Street, 21/9, Of. 2, Kyiv 02100, Ukraine.
| | - Steven Shoptaw
- Department of Family Medicine, UCLA, 10833 Le Conte Avenue, 50-074 CHS, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.
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Bromberg DJ, Madden LM, Fraenkel L, Muthulingam D, Rhoades D, Dvoriak S, Dumchev K, Pykalo I, Altice FL. Preferences and decisional considerations relating to opioid agonist therapy among Ukrainian people who use drugs: A conjoint analysis survey. PLOS GLOBAL PUBLIC HEALTH 2024; 4:e0002725. [PMID: 38277422 PMCID: PMC10817130 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgph.0002725] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2023] [Accepted: 11/28/2023] [Indexed: 01/28/2024]
Abstract
Scaling up opioid agonist therapies (OAT) is the most effective strategy to control combined HIV and opioid epidemics, especially in Eastern Europe and Central Asia (EECA), where HIV incidence and mortality continue to increase. Patient concerns about OAT, however, have undermined scale-up. The objective of this study is to understand Ukrainian opioid use disorder patient preferences about OAT to guide the development of an evidence-informed decision aid for clinical decision-making. We conducted a conjoint-based choice (CBC) survey. Participants were asked to about their preferences relating to 7 attributes of OAT (cost, dosing frequency, concerns about withdrawal symptoms, adverse side effects, improvements in quality of life, precipitation of withdrawal and legislative requirements to be registered as a drug dependent person) and 20 attribute levels for receiving OAT under differing potential treatment constraints. Data were analyzed using Hierarchical Bayesian models. Using respondent-driven sampling and random sampling, we recruited 2,028 people who inject drugs with opioid use disorder. Relative importance (RIS) and partial-worth utility scores (PWUS) were used to assess preferences for attributes and thresholds within each attribute. Cost and dosing frequency were the most important attributes (RIS = 39.2% and RIS = 25.2%, respectively) to potential patients, followed by concerns about withdrawal symptoms (RIS = 10.8%), adverse side effects (RIS = 9.0%), quality-of-life improvement (RIS = 7.5%), precipitation of euphoria (5.2%) and requirement to be registered as a drug- dependent person (RIS = 3.1%). The monthly cost-threshold for willingness-to-pay was 1,900 UAH ($70 USD). In Ukraine, where both governmental and private OAT clinics have emerged and provide markedly different delivery strategies, preferences are mostly driven by out-of-pocket expenses, despite many patients being willing to pay for OAT. Programmatic demands (flexibility and ease of acquiring medications) remain an important consideration while for a minority, clinical concerns about withdrawal symptoms, adverse side effects and OAT impact on life play a smaller role.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel J. Bromberg
- Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America
| | - Lynn M. Madden
- APT Foundation, New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America
| | - Liana Fraenkel
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America
| | - Dharushana Muthulingam
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, United States of America
| | - Delaney Rhoades
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America
| | - Sergii Dvoriak
- European Institute of Public Health Policy, Kyiv, Ukraine
| | | | - Iryna Pykalo
- European Institute of Public Health Policy, Kyiv, Ukraine
| | - Frederick L. Altice
- APT Foundation, New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America
- Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America
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Dellamura P, Meteliuk A, Fomenko T, Rozanova J. Re-examining provider perceptions of best pre-war practices: what elements can help opiate agonist therapy programs in Ukraine successfully survive the crisis? Front Public Health 2024; 11:1259488. [PMID: 38239802 PMCID: PMC10794633 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1259488] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2023] [Accepted: 11/29/2023] [Indexed: 01/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Purpose This paper seeks to explore and understand what constitutes successful opioid agonist therapy (OAT) programs from the views of Ukrainian OAT providers in their context-specific accounts. Prior to the ongoing war the Ukrainian addiction treatment system made great strides to expand its OAT program and increase the number of patients. Since the beginning of the war there has been much alarm that those hard-earned successes will be destroyed. However, emerging evidence suggests that the Ukrainian OAT programs have shown signs of resilience in the face of adversity albeit at great cost. What aspects of the OAT programs developed prior to the crisis have been helpful to allow them to weather the storm? Using the data from 24 addiction treatment providers, this paper describes the essential elements of the OAT programs that preceded the current crisis which made them robust over time. By examining the narratives of the participants interviewed pre-war and pre-COVID-19 the paper reveals structural and cultural elements of the OAT programs before the perfect storm that are likely to endure. To the best of our knowledge, no one else has investigated OAT providers perspectives in Ukraine prior to the crisis which makes this paper extremely salient to understand both the robustness and the vulnerability of MAT programs in Ukraine during the war and going forward. Methodology The data come from qualitative semi-structured interviews with 24 OAT providers throughout 5 regions of Ukraine. Participants included front-line clinicians, head narcologists, and chief doctors from TB clinics, district hospitals and drug addiction centers. Using a coding scheme of 103 inductively developed categories we explored participants' perceptions of their OAT program. Findings In the stories shared by clinicians pre crisis, three major interconnected themes focused on economic uncertainty at the institutional level (leading to under-staffing), structural capacity of the program, and clinicians' professional identity, shaping differing views on application of rules for administrative discharge, take-home dosing, and the potential for scale-up. Knowing the data collection was completely unbiased to the current crisis, interpreting the findings helps us understand that OAT clinicians have had "years" of training under conditions of duress in Ukraine to overcome barriers, find creative solutions and form a support network that became indispensable in surviving the current humanitarian catastrophe. Conclusion In the discussion we point out that the current crisis magnified the pre-existing challenges as the providers approach toward overcoming them was already largely present before the crisis (just on a different scale). The underlying fragility of resources was a constant since OAT inception in Ukraine. Historically, providers in Ukraine operated in a system that was under-funded in the absence of solid governmental funding for OAT programs, yet they came up with solutions which required ingenuity that they took pride in. This gives hope that addiction treatment in Ukraine and OAT programs will not be casualties of this humanitarian crisis and providers and their patients will persevere.
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Affiliation(s)
- P. Dellamura
- Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Infectious Diseases, Yale University, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - A. Meteliuk
- ICF – Alliance for Public Health, Kyiv, Ukraine
| | - T. Fomenko
- Ukrainian Alliance for Public Health, Kyiv, Ukraine
| | - J. Rozanova
- Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Infectious Diseases, Yale University, New Haven, CT, United States
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Galvez SJ, Altice FL, Meteliuk A, Ivasiy R, Machavariani E, Farnum SO, Fomenko T, Islam Z, Madden LM. High perceived stress in patients on opioid agonist therapies during rapid transitional response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Ukraine. Front Public Health 2023; 11:1231581. [PMID: 38098837 PMCID: PMC10720365 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1231581] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2023] [Accepted: 11/07/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Background The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in marked disruptions in healthcare delivery in Ukraine related to emergency guidance in response to treating opioid use disorder (OUD). Patients with OUD, a group with high levels of comorbid medical and psychiatric disorders, and prescribed opioid agonist therapies (OAT) were rapidly shifted to take-home dosing if they were deemed clinically stable. The impact of these shifts on patient stress and related substance use during the pandemic, however, is unknown. Methods In early May 2020, 269 randomly selected OAT patients in Ukraine were surveyed to assess their stress level and substance use using the validated Perceived Stress Scale and examined correlates of severe perceived stress. Results Overall, 195 (72.5%) met criteria for moderate to severe levels of stress, which was independently correlated with having started OAT within the past 12 months (aOR: 1.33; 95%CI: 1.15-1.55), living in a large metropolitan area (aOR: 1.31; 95%CI: 1.18-1.46), having been asked by others to share their medication (aOR: 1.13; 95%CI: 1.02-1.25), and having an increase of over 10 min in transportation time to get to treatment (aOR: 1.16; 95%CI: 1.04-1.29). Twenty seven (10%) patients felt at high risk of relapse, while 24 (8.9%) patients reported purchasing drugs. Conclusion During a time of great uncertainty soon after emergency guidance to the COVID-19 pandemic, there was extraordinary high levels of perceived stress reported. In response to emergency guidance, OAT patients should be screened for perceived stress and certain subgroups should be targeted for additional psychosocial support.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samy J. Galvez
- Yale School of Medicine, Section of Infectious Diseases, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - Frederick L. Altice
- Yale School of Medicine, Section of Infectious Diseases, New Haven, CT, United States
- Division of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, United States
- APT Foundation, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - Anna Meteliuk
- Alliance for Public Health of Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine
| | - Roman Ivasiy
- Yale School of Medicine, Section of Infectious Diseases, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - Eteri Machavariani
- Yale School of Medicine, Section of Infectious Diseases, New Haven, CT, United States
| | | | | | - Zahedul Islam
- Alliance for Public Health of Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine
| | - Lynn M. Madden
- Yale School of Medicine, Section of Infectious Diseases, New Haven, CT, United States
- APT Foundation, New Haven, CT, United States
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Bromberg DJ, Galvez de Leon SJ, Litz T, Azbel L, Liberman AR, Polonsky M, Dvoriak S, Saichuk N, Taxman F, Altice FL. Aligning public health and public safety: Probation as a touchpoint to identify and link patients with opioid use disorder to opioid agonist treatment. PLOS GLOBAL PUBLIC HEALTH 2023; 3:e0002349. [PMID: 37910486 PMCID: PMC10619786 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgph.0002349] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2023] [Accepted: 08/10/2023] [Indexed: 11/03/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND People in criminal justice settings (CJS) have high rates of opioid use disorder (OUD) and HIV. Probation is part of the CJS and congregates many individuals with high rates of mental health and substance use disorders relative to the general population; nevertheless, probation remains a major improvement to incarceration. As a steppingstone to full decarceration efforts, community supervision settings like probation can be leveraged as "touchpoints" to identify and link people with OUD (and other co-morbid conditions) to treatment and reduce criminal activity. METHODOLOGY To determine the feasibility of a modified screening, brief intervention and referral to treatment (SBIRT) strategy to link probationers to opioid agonist therapies (OAT) in the newly created probation system in Ukraine, we conducted a single-arm SBIRT intervention in eight probation centers in four Ukrainian administrative regions. For those screening positive for OUD, interest in OAT was assessed before and after a brief intervention. Those interested in OAT were referred to community OAT services. Participants with OUD also underwent HIV testing. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS Of the 1,298 consecutive individuals screened, 208 (16.0%) met criteria for opioid dependence. Of these, 122 (58.7%) enrolled in brief intervention, of which 54 (44.3%) had HIV and 14 (25.9%) of these were newly diagnosed. After the brief intervention, interest in starting OAT increased significantly from a median of 7.0 to 8.0 (P = <0.001) using a 10-point scale. Thirty (N = 30; 24.6%) of the enrolled participants initiated OAT and 21 of these (70%) were retained in treatment for 6 months. SIGNIFICANCE The prevalence of OUD (and HIV) is high among people in probation in Ukraine. SBIRT can identify a large number of people eligible for OAT, many of whom were willing to initiate and remain on OAT. Integrating SBIRT into probation can potentially assist with OAT scale-up and help address HIV prevention efforts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel J. Bromberg
- Yale University School of Public Health, New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America
- Yale Center for Interdisciplinary Research on AIDS, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America
| | - Samy J. Galvez de Leon
- Yale Center for Interdisciplinary Research on AIDS, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America
- Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America
| | - Taylor Litz
- Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America
| | - Lyu Azbel
- Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America
| | - Amanda R. Liberman
- Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America
| | - Maxim Polonsky
- Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America
| | - Sergii Dvoriak
- Ukrainian Institute on Public Health Policy, Kyiv, Ukraine
| | | | - Faye Taxman
- George Mason University Schar School of Policy and Government, Arlington, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Frederick L. Altice
- Yale University School of Public Health, New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America
- Yale Center for Interdisciplinary Research on AIDS, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America
- Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America
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13
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Nikitin BM, Bromberg DJ, Madden LM, Stöver H, Teltzrow R, Altice FL. Leveraging existing provider networks in Europe to eliminate barriers to accessing opioid agonist maintenance therapies for Ukrainian refugees. PLOS GLOBAL PUBLIC HEALTH 2023; 3:e0002168. [PMID: 37440470 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgph.0002168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2022] [Accepted: 06/20/2023] [Indexed: 07/15/2023]
Abstract
Russia's invasion of Ukraine caused a major refugee crisis, particularly impacting Central and Eastern Europe. Ukraine has one of the highest prevalence rates of opioid use disorder (OUD) in Europe, which increases the risk of HIV spread due to injection drug use. Opioid agonist maintenance therapies (OAMT) are a gold standard treatment for OUD and the prevention of HIV spread. Refugees who were displaced and previously maintained on OAMT in Ukraine require reliable care continuity, but OAMT is often highly regulated making it difficult to access. Using an implementation science lens, we sought to understand the barriers and facilitators that might impede OAMT continuity. We performed 23 semi-structured interviews with displaced patients with OUD and providers of OAMT and harm reduction. Interview participants were purposively sampled to include individuals from the highest-impacted countries: Poland, Germany, Czechia, Slovakia, Romania, and Hungary. Interviews focused on existing provider networks and barriers that refugees on OAMT faced during displacement. Though networks existed, there was little collaboration between providers and key stakeholders, such as NGOs, in overcoming barriers. Moreover, existing formal networks were not leveraged for rapid problem-solving. We found that despite existing networks, providers encountered substantial barriers to successfully coordinating access and retention in OAMT for refugees. Owing to insufficiently leveraged coordination between providers, clinics frequently turned patients away due to insufficient capacity, language barriers, and financial coverage issues. The limited geographic distribution of clinics in larger countries, such as Poland and Germany, further inhibited refugees from accessing and remaining on treatment. To support countries and providers in responding to a rapidly evolving crisis, collaborative learning combined with rapid cycle change projects used by the Network for the Improvement of Addiction Treatment (NIATx) model could be deployed to promote collaboration between providers both nationally and throughout the European Union to guide continuity of OAMT.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Lynn M Madden
- Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States of America
- APT Foundation, New Haven, CT, United States of America
| | - Heino Stöver
- Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | | | - Frederick L Altice
- Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States of America
- APT Foundation, New Haven, CT, United States of America
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Hard B, DeSilva M. Evaluating the feasibility of prolonged-release buprenorphine formulations as an alternative to daily opioid agonist therapy regardless of prior treatment adherence: a pilot study. Pilot Feasibility Stud 2023; 9:113. [PMID: 37403145 PMCID: PMC10318660 DOI: 10.1186/s40814-023-01348-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2022] [Accepted: 06/20/2023] [Indexed: 07/06/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Effective opioid agonist therapy (OAT) depends on good patient adherence. However, the daily, supervised administration of standard OAT represents a significant burden to patients and often drives poor adherence. Prolonged-release buprenorphine (PRB) formulations may mitigate some of this burden, enabling clinic visits to be substantially reduced. For treatment guidelines to be effective, the likely benefit of a transition to PRB therapy in different patient populations must be established. METHODS The aim was to determine the feasibility of assessing PRB as an alternative to daily OAT in two groups: those currently adhering well to daily OAT (group 1, N = 5) and those not currently showing adherence or a positive response to daily OAT (group 2, N = 10). This open-label, prospective, non-controlled pilot study was conducted at the Kaleidoscope Drug Project in South Wales, UK. Participants were assessed for history, drug use, psychosocial assessment scores, and clinical severity at baseline and after 6 months of treatment. Primary outcomes were the feasibility of assessing PRB as an alternative to daily OAT and the acceptability of PRB therapy in each group. Secondary outcomes were treatment response, on-top drug use, psychosocial measures, and assessment of clinical severity. RESULTS Participants from both groups demonstrated high levels of participation with assessment protocols at both baseline and 6-month follow-up, indicating study feasibility. PRB treatment was acceptable to the majority of participants, with all of group 1 and 70% of group 2 adhering to PRB therapy for the duration of the study and opting to persist with PRB therapy over other OAT options after study completion. All participants who remained on treatment demonstrated marked improvements in psychosocial and clinical severity assessment scores, with some returning to employment or education. On-top drug use remained absent in group 1 and was reduced in group 2. CONCLUSIONS Evaluation of transition of participants from daily OAT to PRB therapy was shown to be feasible, acceptable, and effective across both groups. A larger randomised controlled trial is warranted, particularly to assess PRB therapy in participants with a history of poor treatment engagement, as the need for therapy is greater in this group and their management is associated with higher costs of care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bernadette Hard
- Kaleidoscope Drug Project, Resolven House, St Mellons Business Park, Fortran Rd Cardiff, Wales, CF3 0EY, UK.
| | - Mohan DeSilva
- Kaleidoscope Drug Project, Resolven House, St Mellons Business Park, Fortran Rd Cardiff, Wales, CF3 0EY, UK
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Golnezhad A, Torkaman-Boutorabi A, Mohammad Razaghi E, Zarrindast MR, Yadollahi S, Dousti Kataj P, Vousooghi N. Psychometric Characteristics of the Persian Version of the Opiate Dosage Adequacy Scale (ODAS). Basic Clin Neurosci 2023; 14:471-478. [PMID: 38050570 PMCID: PMC10693811 DOI: 10.32598/bcn.2023.2756.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2022] [Revised: 08/31/2022] [Accepted: 06/07/2023] [Indexed: 12/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction The opiate dosage adequacy scale (ODAS) is one of the most common assessment tools in studies on substance use disorders, which evaluates the "adequacy" of opiate medication doses in individuals recruited in maintenance approaches. There is no investigation on the Persian version of this questionnaire in Iran. This research validated a Persian version of the ODAS. Methods The Persian version of the ODAS was translated and revised based on the original scale presented by González-Saiz et al. The psychometric characteristics of the ODAS were assessed via direct interviews. Three trained interviewers questioned 250 patients treated in methadone maintenance clinics in Mazandaran Province (Northern Iran) for more than three months. Internal consistency and factor analysis were conducted using SPSS software, version 24. Results The internal consistency of ODAS was satisfactory (Cronbach's α=0.81). Across all items, considerable inter-rater reliability was discovered (kappa values between 0.90 and 1). A four-component structure was produced by the factor analysis that accounted for 77.5% of the total variance. Cronbach's α coefficients of the four components of Heroin craving and overmedication, Consumption, objective opiate withdrawal symptoms, and subjective opiate withdrawal symptoms were 0.84, 0.91, 0.83, and 0.74, respectively. Conclusion The reliability and validity of the Persian version of the ODAS were satisfactory in a sample of methadone maintenance subjects. Highlights The opiate dosage adequacy scale (ODAS) is a clinical tool for measuring the adequacy of methadone dosesThe Persian version of ODAS has good validity, internal consistency, and inter-rater reliability;The Persian version of the ODAS, as a valid and reliable tool, can be used for the Iranian people under methadone maintenance. Plain Language Summary In Iran, opioids are among the most common forms of illicit drugs. In opioid maintenance programs, the adequacy of methadone doses has an important effect on treatment outcomes. Clinicians typically assess the adequacy of doses based on the patient's response to the medication. Different tools are used in clinical studies to evaluate it. One of these tools is the ODAS, developed by González-Saiz et al. In the present study, we validated the Persian version of the ODAS for Iranian patients receiving methadone maintenance programs. The results confirmed the four-factor structure of the Persian ODAS and showed its good internal consistency and inter-rater reliability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abdollah Golnezhad
- Department of Neuroscience and Addiction Studies, School of Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Anahita Torkaman-Boutorabi
- Department of Neuroscience and Addiction Studies, School of Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
- Research Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Sciences, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Emran Mohammad Razaghi
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mohammad Reza Zarrindast
- Department of Neuroscience and Addiction Studies, School of Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
- Iranian National Center for Addiction Studies, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Sara Yadollahi
- Organization for Educational Research and Planning (OERP), Institute for Educational Studies and Research, Tehran, Iran
| | - Parviz Dousti Kataj
- Department of Neuroscience and Addiction Studies, School of Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Nasim Vousooghi
- Department of Neuroscience and Addiction Studies, School of Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
- Research Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Sciences, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
- Iranian National Center for Addiction Studies, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
- Department of Applied Cell Sciences, School of Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
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Degenhardt L, Clark B, Macpherson G, Leppan O, Nielsen S, Zahra E, Larance B, Kimber J, Martino-Burke D, Hickman M, Farrell M. Buprenorphine versus methadone for the treatment of opioid dependence: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised and observational studies. Lancet Psychiatry 2023; 10:386-402. [PMID: 37167985 DOI: 10.1016/s2215-0366(23)00095-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 30.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2023] [Revised: 03/01/2023] [Accepted: 03/02/2023] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Opioid dependence is associated with substantial health and social burdens, and opioid agonist treatment (OAT) is highly effective in improving multiple outcomes for people who receive this treatment. Methadone and buprenorphine are common medications provided as OAT. We aimed to examine buprenorphine compared with methadone in the treatment of opioid dependence across a wide range of primary and secondary outcomes. METHODS We did a systematic review and meta-analysis in accordance with GATHER and PRISMA guidelines. We searched Embase, MEDLINE, CENTRAL, and PsycINFO from database inception to Aug 1, 2022; clinical trial registries and previous relevant Cochrane reviews were also reviewed. We included all RCTs and observational studies of adults (aged ≥18 years) with opioid dependence comparing treatment with buprenorphine or methadone. Primary outcomes were retention in treatment at 1, 3, 6, 12, and 24 months, treatment adherence (measured through doses taken as prescribed, dosing visits attended, and biological measures), or extra-medical opioid use (measured by urinalysis and self-report). Secondary outcomes were use of benzodiazepines, cannabis, cocaine, amphetamines, and alcohol; withdrawal; craving; criminal activity and engagement with the criminal justice system; overdose; mental and physical health; sleep; pain; global functioning; suicidality and self-harm; and adverse events. Single-arm cohort studies and RCTs that collected data on buprenorphine retention alone were also reviewed. Data on study, participant, and treatment characteristics were extracted. Study authors were contacted to obtain additional data when required. Comparative estimates were pooled with use of random-effects meta-analyses. The proportion of individuals retained in treatment across multiple timepoints was pooled for each drug. This study is registered with PROSPERO (CRD42020205109). FINDINGS We identified 32 eligible RCTs (N=5808 participants) and 69 observational studies (N=323 340) comparing buprenorphine and methadone, in addition to 51 RCTs (N=11 644) and 124 observational studies (N=700 035) that reported on treatment retention with buprenorphine. Overall, 61 studies were done in western Europe, 162 in North America, 14 in north Africa and the Middle East, 20 in Australasia, five in southeast Asia, seven in south Asia, two in eastern Europe, three in central Europe, one in east Asia, and one in central Asia. 1 040 827 participants were included in these primary studies; however, gender was only reported for 572 111 participants, of whom 377 991 (66·1%) were male and 194 120 (33·9%) were female. Mean age was 37·1 years (SD 6·0). At timepoints beyond 1 month, retention was better for methadone than for buprenorphine: for example, at 6 months, the pooled effect favoured methadone in RCTs (risk ratio 0·76 [95% CI 0·67-0·85]; I·=74·2%; 16 studies, N=3151) and in observational studies (0·77 [0·68-0·86]; I·=98·5%; 21 studies, N=155 111). Retention was generally higher in RCTs than observational studies. There was no evidence suggesting that adherence to treatment differed with buprenorphine compared with methadone. There was some evidence that extra-medical opioid use was lower in those receiving buprenorphine in RCTs that measured this outcome by urinalysis and reported proportion of positive urine samples (over various time frames; standardised mean difference -0·20 [-0·29 to -0·11]; I·=0·0%; three studies, N=841), but no differences were found when using other measures. Some statistically significant differences were found between buprenorphine and methadone among secondary outcomes. There was evidence of reduced cocaine use, cravings, anxiety, and cardiac dysfunction, as well as increased treatment satisfaction among people receiving buprenorphine compared with methadone; and evidence of reduced hospitalisation and alcohol use in people receiving methadone. These differences in secondary outcomes were based on small numbers of studies (maximum five), and were often not consistent across study types or different measures of the same constructs (eg, cocaine use). INTERPRETATION Evidence from trials and observational studies suggest that treatment retention is better for methadone than for sublingual buprenorphine. Comparative evidence on other outcomes examined showed few statistically significant differences and was generally based on small numbers of studies. These findings highlight the imperative for interventions to improve retention, consideration of client-centred factors (such as client preference) when selecting between methadone and buprenorphine, and harmonisation of data collection and reporting to strengthen future syntheses. FUNDING Australian National Health and Medical Research Council.
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Affiliation(s)
- Louisa Degenhardt
- National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
| | - Brodie Clark
- National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Georgina Macpherson
- National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Oscar Leppan
- National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Suzanne Nielsen
- Monash Addiction Research Centre, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Emma Zahra
- National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Briony Larance
- School of Psychology and Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, Australia
| | - Jo Kimber
- National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Daniel Martino-Burke
- National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Matthew Hickman
- Population Health Science, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Michael Farrell
- National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
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Guerra-Alejos BC, Kurz M, Min JE, Dale LM, Piske M, Bach P, Bruneau J, Gustafson P, Hu XJ, Kampman K, Korthuis PT, Loughin T, Maclure M, Platt RW, Siebert U, Socías ME, Wood E, Nosyk B. Comparative effectiveness of urine drug screening strategies alongside opioid agonist treatment in British Columbia, Canada: a population-based observational study protocol. BMJ Open 2023; 13:e068729. [PMID: 37258082 PMCID: PMC10255039 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2022-068729] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2022] [Accepted: 04/26/2023] [Indexed: 06/02/2023] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Urine drug tests (UDTs) are commonly used for monitoring opioid agonist treatment (OAT) responses, supporting the clinical decision for take-home doses and monitoring potential diversion. However, there is limited evidence supporting the utility of mandatory UDTs-particularly the impact of UDT frequency on OAT retention. Real-world evidence can inform patient-centred approaches to OAT and improve current strategies to address the ongoing opioid public health emergency. Our objective is to determine the safety and comparative effectiveness of alternative UDT monitoring strategies as observed in clinical practice among OAT clients in British Columbia, Canada from 2010 to 2020. METHODS AND ANALYSIS We propose a population-level retrospective cohort study of all individuals 18 years of age or older who initiated OAT from 1 January 2010 to 17 March 2020. The study will draw on eight linked health administrative databases from British Columbia. Our primary outcomes include OAT discontinuation and all-cause mortality. To determine the effectiveness of the intervention, we will emulate a 'per-protocol' target trial using a clone censoring approach to compare fixed and dynamic UDT monitoring strategies. A range of sensitivity analyses will be executed to determine the robustness of our results. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION The protocol, cohort creation and analysis plan have been classified and approved as a quality improvement initiative by Providence Health Care Research Ethics Board and the Simon Fraser University Office of Research Ethics. Results will be disseminated to local advocacy groups and decision-makers, national and international clinical guideline developers, presented at international conferences and published in peer-reviewed journals electronically and in print.
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Affiliation(s)
- B Carolina Guerra-Alejos
- Centre for Health Evaluation and Outcome Sciences, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Megan Kurz
- Centre for Health Evaluation and Outcome Sciences, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Jeong Eun Min
- Centre for Health Evaluation and Outcome Sciences, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Laura M Dale
- Centre for Health Evaluation and Outcome Sciences, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Micah Piske
- Centre for Health Evaluation and Outcome Sciences, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Paxton Bach
- Faculty of Medicine, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- British Columbia Centre on Substance Use, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Julie Bruneau
- Department of Family Medicine and Emergency Medicine, University of Montreal, Montreal, Québec, Canada
- Research Center, Centre hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal, Montréal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Paul Gustafson
- Department of Statistics, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - X Joan Hu
- Department of Statistics and Actuarial Science, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Kyle Kampman
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - P Todd Korthuis
- School of Public Health, OHSU-PSU, Portland, Oregon, USA
- Section of Addiction Medicine, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon, USA
| | - Tom Loughin
- Department of Statistics and Actuarial Science, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Malcolm Maclure
- Department of Anesthesiology, Pharmacology and Therapeutics, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Robert W Platt
- Departments of Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Occupational Health and of Pediatrics, McGill University, Montreal, Québec, Canada
| | - U Siebert
- Center for Health Decision Science, Department of Health Policy and Management, Harvard University T H Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Public Health, Health Services Research and Health Technology Assessment, Private University of Health Sciences Medical Informatics and Technology Hall/Tyrol Institute for Health Information Systems, Hall in Tirol, Austria
| | - M Eugenia Socías
- Faculty of Medicine, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- British Columbia Centre on Substance Use, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Evan Wood
- Faculty of Medicine, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- British Columbia Centre on Substance Use, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Bohdan Nosyk
- Centre for Health Evaluation and Outcome Sciences, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
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18
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Ganapathi L, McFall AM, Greco KF, Srikrishnan AK, Suresh Kumar M, Mayer KH, O’Cleirigh C, Mehta SH, Lucas GM, Solomon SS. Buprenorphine treatment receipt characteristics and retention among people who inject drugs at Integrated Care Centers in India. Drug Alcohol Depend 2023; 246:109839. [PMID: 37031487 PMCID: PMC10416117 DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2023.109839] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2022] [Revised: 02/21/2023] [Accepted: 03/06/2023] [Indexed: 04/11/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND India is facing overlapping opioid injection and HIV epidemics among people who inject drugs (PWID) in several cities. Integrated Care Centers (ICCs) provide single-venue HIV and substance use services to PWID. We evaluated PWID engagement in daily observed buprenorphine treatment at 7 ICCs to inform interventions. METHODS We analyzed 1-year follow-up data for PWID initiating buprenorphine between 1 January - 31 December 2018, evaluating receipt frequency, treatment interruptions (no buprenorphine receipt for 60 consecutive days with subsequent re-engagement), and drop-out (no buprenorphine receipt for 60 consecutive days without re-engagement). Using descriptive statistics, we explored differences between ICCs in the opioid-endemic Northeast region and ICCs in the emerging opioid epidemic North/Central region. We used a multivariable logistic regression model to determine predictors of treatment drop-out by 6 months. RESULTS 1312 PWID initiated buprenorphine (76% North/Central ICCs vs. 24% Northeast ICCs). 31% of PWID in North/Central, and 25% in Northeast ICCs experienced ≥ 1 treatment interruption in 1 year. Over 6 months, 48% of PWID in North/Central vs. 60% in Northeast ICCs received buprenorphine ≤ 2 times/week (p < 0.0001). A third of PWID in North/Central vs. half in Northeast ICCs experienced treatment drop-out by 6 months (p < 0.001). In the multivariable model, living in Northeast cities was associated with increased odds of drop-out while counseling receipt was associated with decreased odds. CONCLUSIONS Retention among PWID initiating buprenorphine at ICCs was comparable to global reports. However, regional heterogeneity in retention, and low daily buprenorphine receipt suggest patient-centered interventions adapted to regional contexts are urgently needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lakshmi Ganapathi
- Division of Pediatric Global Health, Massachusetts General Hospital for Children, 55 Fruit Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02114
- Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Massachusetts General Hospital for Children, 55 Fruit Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02114
- Harvard Medical School, 25 Shattuck Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02115
| | - Allison M. McFall
- Department of Epidemiology, The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 733 N Broadway, Baltimore, Maryland 21205
| | - Kimberly F. Greco
- Institutional Centers for Clinical and Translational Research, Boston Children’s Hospital, 21 Autumn Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02215
| | - Aylur K. Srikrishnan
- YR Gaitonde Centre for AIDS Research and Education, No. 34, East Street, Kilpauk Garden Colony, Chennai, India 600010
| | - Muniratnam Suresh Kumar
- YR Gaitonde Centre for AIDS Research and Education, No. 34, East Street, Kilpauk Garden Colony, Chennai, India 600010
| | - Kenneth H. Mayer
- Harvard Medical School, 25 Shattuck Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02115
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, 330 Brookline Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02215
- The Fenway Institute, 1340 Boylston Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02215
| | - Conall O’Cleirigh
- Harvard Medical School, 25 Shattuck Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02115
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Shruti H. Mehta
- Department of Epidemiology, The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 733 N Broadway, Baltimore, Maryland 21205
| | - Gregory M. Lucas
- Division of Infectious Diseases, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 733 N Broadway, Baltimore, Maryland 21205
| | - Sunil S. Solomon
- Division of Infectious Diseases, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 733 N Broadway, Baltimore, Maryland 21205
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Ivasiy R, Galvez de Leon SJ, Meteliuk A, Fomenko T, Pykalo I, Bromberg DJ, Madden LM, Farnum SO, Islam Z, Altice FL. Responding to health policy recommendations on managing opioid use disorder during Russia's invasion of Ukraine: Divergent responses from the frontline to the west. Front Public Health 2023; 10:1044677. [PMID: 36711398 PMCID: PMC9880308 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.1044677] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2022] [Accepted: 12/15/2022] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Russia's invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, followed by Ukraine's Martial law, has disrupted the routine delivery of healthcare services, including opioid agonist treatment (OAT) programs. Directors (chief addiction treatment physicians) of these programs in each region had flexibility with implementing a series of adaptations to their practice to respond to war disruptions like mass internal displacement and legislation updates allowing more flexibility with OAT distribution policies and take-home dosing regulations. We conducted 8 in-depth interviews with directors from seven regions of Ukraine to describe their experiences providing OAT during a specific time during the war and the local crisis-response approach under the emergency policy updates. We categorized their experiences according to the level of exposure to conflict in each region and displacement of patients across the country, which may provide future guidance for OAT provision during the conflict.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roman Ivasiy
- Section of Infectious Diseases, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States
| | | | - Anna Meteliuk
- International Charitable Foundation Alliance for Public Health, Kyiv, Ukraine
| | - Tetiana Fomenko
- International Charitable Foundation Alliance for Public Health, Kyiv, Ukraine
| | - Iryna Pykalo
- Ukrainian Institute of Public Health Policy, Kyiv, Ukraine
| | - Daniel J. Bromberg
- Center for Interdisciplinary Research on AIDS, Yale University, New Haven, CT, United States
- Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Yale School of Public Health, Yale University, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - Lynn M. Madden
- Section of Infectious Diseases, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States
- APT Foundation, New Haven, CT, United States
| | | | - Zahedul Islam
- International Charitable Foundation Alliance for Public Health, Kyiv, Ukraine
| | - Frederick L. Altice
- Section of Infectious Diseases, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States
- Center for Interdisciplinary Research on AIDS, Yale University, New Haven, CT, United States
- APT Foundation, New Haven, CT, United States
- Division of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, United States
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20
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Chen J, Li Y, Wang S, Li W, Liu Y, Jin L, Li Z, Zhu J, Wang F, Liu W, Xue J, Shi H, Wang W, Jin C, Li Q. Methadone maintenance treatment alters couplings of default mode and salience networks in individuals with heroin use disorder: A longitudinal self-controlled resting-state fMRI study. Front Psychiatry 2023; 14:1132407. [PMID: 37139328 PMCID: PMC10149709 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1132407] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2022] [Accepted: 03/28/2023] [Indexed: 05/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) is a common treatment for heroin use disorder (HUD). Although individuals with HUD have been reported to show impaired coupling among the salience network (SN), executive control network (ECN), and default mode network (DMN), the effects of MMT on the coupling among three large-scale networks in individuals with HUD remains unclear. Methods Thirty-seven individuals with HUD undergoing MMT and 57 healthy controls were recruited. The longitudinal one-year follow-up study aimed to evaluate the effects of methadone on anxiety, depression, withdrawal symptoms and craving and number of relapse, and brain function (SN, DMN and bilateral ECN) in relation to heroin dependence. The changes in psychological characteristics and the coupling among large-scale networks after 1 year of MMT were analyzed. The associations between the changes in coupling among large-scale networks and psychological characteristics and the methadone dose were also examined. Results After 1 year of MMT, individuals with HUD showed a reduction in the withdrawal symptom score. The number of relapses was negatively correlated with the methadone dose over 1 year. The functional connectivity between the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and the left middle temporal gyrus (MTG; both key nodes of the DMN) was increased, and the connectivities between the mPFC and the anterior insular and middle frontal gyrus (key nodes of the SN) were also increased. The mPFC-left MTG connectivity was negatively correlated with the withdrawal symptom score. Conclusion Long-term MMT enhanced the connectivity within the DMN which might be related to reduced withdrawal symptoms, and that between the DMN and SN which might be related to increase in salience values of heroin cues in individuals with HUD. Long-term MMT may be a double-edged sword in treatment for HUD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiajie Chen
- Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, Shaanxi, China
- Department of Radiology, Tangdu Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Yongbin Li
- Department of Radiology, Xi'an No. 1 Hospital, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Shu Wang
- Biomedical Engineering, School of Life Science and Technology, Xi'an Jiao Tong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Wei Li
- Department of Radiology, Tangdu Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Yan Liu
- Department of Radiology, Tangdu Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Long Jin
- Department of Radiology, Tangdu Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Zhe Li
- Department of Radiology, Tangdu Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Jia Zhu
- Department of Radiology, Tangdu Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Fan Wang
- Department of Radiology, Tangdu Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Wei Liu
- Department of Radiology, Xi'an No. 1 Hospital, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Jiuhua Xue
- Department of Radiology, Xi'an No. 1 Hospital, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Hong Shi
- Department of Radiology, Xi'an No. 1 Hospital, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Wei Wang
- Department of Radiology, Tangdu Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
- Wei Wang,
| | - Chenwang Jin
- Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, Shaanxi, China
- Chenwang Jin,
| | - Qiang Li
- Department of Radiology, Tangdu Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
- *Correspondence: Qiang Li,
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21
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Madden LM, Farnum SO, Bromberg DJ, Barry DT, Mazhnaya A, Fomenko T, Meteliuk A, Marcus R, Rozanova J, Poklad I, Dvoriak S, Altice FL. The development and initial validation of the Russian version of the BASIS-24. Addict Sci Clin Pract 2022; 17:65. [PMID: 36435811 PMCID: PMC9701377 DOI: 10.1186/s13722-022-00343-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2022] [Accepted: 10/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Efficient and linguistically appropriate instruments are needed to assess response to addiction treatment, including severity of addiction/mental health status. This is critical for Russian-speaking persons in Eastern Europe and Central Asia (EECA) where Medications for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD) remain underscaled to address expanding and intertwined opioid, HIV, HCV and tuberculosis epidemics. We developed and conducted a pilot validation of a Russian version of the 24-item Behavior and Symptom Identification Scale (BASIS-24), an addiction/mental health severity instrument with six subscales, previously validated in English. METHODS Using the Mapi approach, we reviewed, translated, and back-translated the content to Russian, pilot-tested the Russian-version (BASIS-24-R) among new MOUD patients in Ukraine (N = 283). For a subset of patients (n = 44), test-rest was performed 48 h after admission to reassess reliability of BASIS-24-R. Exploratory principal component analysis (PCA) assessed underlying structure of BASIS-24-R. RESULTS Cronbach alpha coefficients for overall BASIS-24-R and 5 subscales exceeded 0.65; coefficient for Relationship subscale was 0.42. The Pearson correlation coefficients for overall score and all subscales on the BASIS-24-R exceeded 0.8. Each item loaded onto factors that corresponded with English BASIS-24 subscales ≥ 0.4 in PCA. CONCLUSION Initial version of BASIS-24-R appears statistically valid in Russian. Use of the BASIS-24-R has potential to guide MOUD treatment delivery in the EECA region and help to align addiction treatment with HIV prevention goals in a region where HIV is concentrated in people who inject opioids and where healthcare professionals have not traditionally perceived MOUD as effective treatment, particularly for those with mental health co-morbidities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lynn M. Madden
- grid.422797.d0000 0004 0558 5300APT Foundation, Inc, 1 Long Wharf Drive, Suite 321, New Haven, CT 06511 USA
- grid.47100.320000000419368710Section of Infectious Diseases, Yale University School of Medicine, 333 Cedar Street, New Haven, CT 06510 USA
| | - Scott O. Farnum
- grid.422797.d0000 0004 0558 5300APT Foundation, Inc, 1 Long Wharf Drive, Suite 321, New Haven, CT 06511 USA
| | - Daniel J. Bromberg
- grid.47100.320000000419368710Yale School of Public Health, Laboratory of Epidemiology and Public Health, 60 College St, New Haven, CT 06510 USA
| | - Declan T. Barry
- grid.422797.d0000 0004 0558 5300APT Foundation, Inc, 1 Long Wharf Drive, Suite 321, New Haven, CT 06511 USA
- grid.47100.320000000419368710Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, 300 George Street, Suite 901, New Haven, CT 06510 USA
- grid.47100.320000000419368710Child Study Center, Yale University School of Medicine, 230 S Frontage Road, New Haven, CT 06519 USA
| | - Alyona Mazhnaya
- grid.47100.320000000419368710Section of Infectious Diseases, Yale University School of Medicine, 333 Cedar Street, New Haven, CT 06510 USA
- grid.77971.3f0000 0001 1012 5630School of Public Health, National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, Hryhoriya Skovorody Street, Kiev, 2 04655 Ukraine
| | - Tetiana Fomenko
- grid.511905.9ICF Alliance for Public Health, 24 Bulvarno-Kudriavska Street, Kyiv, 01601 Ukraine
| | - Anna Meteliuk
- grid.511905.9ICF Alliance for Public Health, 24 Bulvarno-Kudriavska Street, Kyiv, 01601 Ukraine
| | - Ruthanne Marcus
- grid.47100.320000000419368710Section of Infectious Diseases, Yale University School of Medicine, 333 Cedar Street, New Haven, CT 06510 USA
| | - Julia Rozanova
- grid.47100.320000000419368710Section of Infectious Diseases, Yale University School of Medicine, 333 Cedar Street, New Haven, CT 06510 USA
| | - Iurii Poklad
- Chernihiv Regional Narcological Dispensary, 3 Shchorsa Street, Chernihiv, 14005 Ukraine
| | - Sergii Dvoriak
- European Institute of Public Health Policy, 1 Malopidvalna Street, Office 10, Kiev, 01054 Ukraine
| | - Frederick L. Altice
- grid.422797.d0000 0004 0558 5300APT Foundation, Inc, 1 Long Wharf Drive, Suite 321, New Haven, CT 06511 USA
- grid.47100.320000000419368710Yale School of Public Health, Laboratory of Epidemiology and Public Health, 60 College St, New Haven, CT 06510 USA
- grid.47100.320000000419368710Section of Infectious Diseases, Yale University School of Medicine, 333 Cedar Street, New Haven, CT 06510 USA
- grid.10347.310000 0001 2308 5949Centre of Excellence On Research in AIDS (CERiA), University of Malaya, Malaysia Level 17, Wisma R&DJalan Pantai Baharu, 59990 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
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22
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Altice FL, Bromberg DJ, Klepikov A, Barzilay EJ, Islam Z, Dvoriak S, Farnum SO, Madden LM. Collaborative learning and response to opioid misuse and HIV prevention in Ukraine during war. Lancet Psychiatry 2022; 9:852-854. [PMID: 36244353 PMCID: PMC9806953 DOI: 10.1016/s2215-0366(22)00318-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2022] [Accepted: 09/01/2022] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Frederick L Altice
- Department of Medicine, Section of Infectious Diseases, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA; Division of Epidemiology and Microbial Diseases, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, USA; APT Foundation, New Haven, CT, USA.
| | - Daniel J Bromberg
- Department of Medicine, Section of Infectious Diseases, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA; Division of Epidemiology and Microbial Diseases, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Adriy Klepikov
- International Charitable Foundation Alliance for Public Health, Kyiv, Ukraine
| | - Ezra J Barzilay
- Division of Global HIV and TB, Center for Global Health, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Kyiv, Ukraine
| | - Zahedul Islam
- International Charitable Foundation Alliance for Public Health, Kyiv, Ukraine
| | - Sergii Dvoriak
- Ukrainian Institute on Public Health Policy, Kyiv, Ukraine
| | | | - Lynn M Madden
- Department of Medicine, Section of Infectious Diseases, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA; APT Foundation, New Haven, CT, USA
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Ivasiy R, Madden LM, Farnum SO, Shumskaya N, de Leon SJG, Bromberg DJ, Kurmanalieva A, Duishenaliev A, Tokubaev R, Altice FL. Implementation opportunities for scaling up methadone maintenance treatment in Kyrgyzstan: Methadone dosage and retention on treatment over two years. DRUG AND ALCOHOL DEPENDENCE REPORTS 2022; 4:100075. [PMID: 36267100 PMCID: PMC9581459 DOI: 10.1016/j.dadr.2022.100075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2022] [Revised: 06/14/2022] [Accepted: 06/15/2022] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Background Methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) is the most effective and cost-effective strategy to control HIV in Central Asian countries, where the epidemic is concentrated among people who inject drugs (PWID) who use opioids. Methods Using data from a prospective observational database of all people initiated on MMT in Kyrgyzstan since 2008, we analyzed a more contemporary subset of data for all persons receiving MMT from January 2017 through June 2021 after the national treatment guidelines were changed. Retention on MMT was assessed at 1, 6, 12, and 24 months and predictive variables included were dosage levels, HIV status, and type of clinical setting using survival analysis. Predictors of treatment dropout were estimated using Cox multivariate regression models. Results Among the 940 MMT patients, the proportion receiving low (<40mg), medium (40-85mg), and high (>85mg) dosage levels was 37.9%, 42.2%, and 19.9%, respectively. Increasing MMT dosage level was significantly (p<0.0001) correlated with retention at 1 (90%, 98%, 100%), 6 (42%, 63%, 95%), 12 (33%, 55%, 89%), and 24 (16%, 45%, 80%) months, respectively, with no differences between community and correctional settings. Significant predictors of dropout at 12 months included low (aHR=8.0; 95%CL=5.8-11.0) and medium (aHR=3.5; 95%CL=2.5-4.9) methadone dosage level relative to high dose, receiving MMT in three administrative regions relative to the capital Bishkek, and lower in the tuberculosis-specialized clinic in Bishkek. Clients with HIV receive higher average MMT doses (79.5mg vs 63.1mg; p<0.0001), but MMT retention did not differ after controlling for dosage in this group. Conclusions The proportion of patients receiving optimal dosage was low (19.9%). An implementation strategy that focused on getting a larger proportion of MMT on the optimal dosage to promote retention could potentially improve the quality of existing treatment and promote further scale-up of MMT in Kyrgyzstan.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roman Ivasiy
- Yale School of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Section of Infectious Diseases, 135 College Street, Suite 355, New Haven, CT 06511 USA
- Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, USA
- Center for Interdisciplinary Research on AIDS at Yale University, New Haven, USA
| | - Lynn M. Madden
- Yale School of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Section of Infectious Diseases, 135 College Street, Suite 355, New Haven, CT 06511 USA
- APT Foundation, New Haven, USA
| | - Scott O. Farnum
- Yale School of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Section of Infectious Diseases, 135 College Street, Suite 355, New Haven, CT 06511 USA
- APT Foundation, New Haven, USA
| | - Natalia Shumskaya
- Public Foundation “AIDS Foundation East-West in the Kyrgyz Republic”, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
| | - Samy J. Galvez de Leon
- Yale School of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Section of Infectious Diseases, 135 College Street, Suite 355, New Haven, CT 06511 USA
| | - Daniel J. Bromberg
- Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, USA
- Center for Interdisciplinary Research on AIDS at Yale University, New Haven, USA
| | - Ainura Kurmanalieva
- Public Foundation “AIDS Foundation East-West in the Kyrgyz Republic”, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
| | | | | | - Frederick L. Altice
- Yale School of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Section of Infectious Diseases, 135 College Street, Suite 355, New Haven, CT 06511 USA
- Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, USA
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Gomes T, McCormack D, Bozinoff N, Tadrous M, Antoniou T, Munro C, Campbell T, Paterson JM, Mamdani M, Sproule B. Duration of use and outcomes among people with opioid use disorder initiating methadone and buprenorphine in Ontario: a population-based propensity-score matched cohort study. Addiction 2022; 117:1972-1981. [PMID: 35257434 PMCID: PMC9313829 DOI: 10.1111/add.15862] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2021] [Accepted: 02/20/2022] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
AIMS To characterize comparative risks and benefits of methadone versus buprenorphine/naloxone in a contemporary cohort where the unregulated drug supply is dominated by fentanyl. DESIGN, SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS Population-based propensity-score matched cohort study conducted in Ontario, Canada among people aged 18+ initiating opioid agonist therapy (OAT) for an opioid use disorder between October 2016 and December 2018 (n = 18 880). INTERVENTION Initiation of methadone versus buprenorphine/naloxone. MEASUREMENTS The primary outcome was opioid overdose (fatal and non-fatal) while on treatment, with secondary outcomes including opioid overdose (first 30 days of treatment), treatment discontinuation, health-care interactions related to treatment of opioid use disorder, receiving a weekly supply of take-home doses and opioid overdose within 30 days of treatment discontinuation. Outcomes were assessed over 1 year. FINDINGS Overall, 7517 people initiating buprenorphine were matched to an equal number of methadone-treated individuals. Risk of opioid overdose while on treatment [hazard ratio (HR) = 0.50; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.37-0.68] or within the first 30 days of treatment (HR = 0.51, 95% CI = 0.31-0.85) was lower among buprenorphine recipients compared to methadone recipients. In secondary analyses, people initiating buprenorphine had a higher risk of treatment discontinuation within the first year (median time to discontinuation 104 versus 265 days, HR = 1.43, 95% CI = 1.37-1.49), had lower rates of health-care interactions for OUD (186.4 versus 254.3 per person-year; rate ratio = 0.73; 95% CI = 0.72-0.75), and a higher rate of receiving weekly take-home doses (HR = 2.33; 95% CI = 2.20-2.46). Overdose rates in the period following OAT discontinuation were higher than those observed while on treatment, but did not differ significantly by OAT type. CONCLUSIONS Although treatment retention is higher among methadone recipients, overdose risk is also elevated compared to buprenorphine recipients. These findings demonstrate the benefits of any OAT on avoidance of overdose, particularly following treatment discontinuation and with the increasingly unpredictable drug supply in North America.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tara Gomes
- Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute of St. Michael's HospitalTorontoOntarioCanada,Leslie Dan Faculty of PharmacyUniversity of TorontoTorontoOntarioCanada,ICESTorontoOntarioCanada,Institute for Health Policy, Management and EvaluationUniversity of TorontoTorontoOntarioCanada
| | | | - Nikki Bozinoff
- Centre for Addiction and Mental HealthTorontoOntarioCanada,Department of Family and Community MedicineUniversity of TorontoTorontoOntarioCanada
| | - Mina Tadrous
- Leslie Dan Faculty of PharmacyUniversity of TorontoTorontoOntarioCanada,ICESTorontoOntarioCanada,Women's College HospitalTorontoOntarioCanada
| | - Tony Antoniou
- Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute of St. Michael's HospitalTorontoOntarioCanada,ICESTorontoOntarioCanada,Department of Family and Community MedicineUniversity of TorontoTorontoOntarioCanada,Department of Family and Community Medicine, St. Michael's HospitalTorontoOntarioCanada
| | - Charlotte Munro
- Ontario Drug Policy Research Network Lived Experience Advisory GroupSt Michael's HospitalTorontoOntarioCanada
| | - Tonya Campbell
- Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute of St. Michael's HospitalTorontoOntarioCanada
| | - J. Michael Paterson
- ICESTorontoOntarioCanada,Institute for Health Policy, Management and EvaluationUniversity of TorontoTorontoOntarioCanada,Department of Family MedicineMcMaster UniversityHamiltonOntarioCanada
| | - Muhammad Mamdani
- Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute of St. Michael's HospitalTorontoOntarioCanada,Leslie Dan Faculty of PharmacyUniversity of TorontoTorontoOntarioCanada,ICESTorontoOntarioCanada,Institute for Health Policy, Management and EvaluationUniversity of TorontoTorontoOntarioCanada
| | - Beth Sproule
- Leslie Dan Faculty of PharmacyUniversity of TorontoTorontoOntarioCanada,Centre for Addiction and Mental HealthTorontoOntarioCanada,Department of PsychiatryUniversity of TorontoTorontoOntarioCanada
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25
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Dorgay CE, Bromberg DJ, Doltu S, Litz T, Galvez S, Polonsky M, Dvoryak S, Altice FL. A pilot implementation study to scale-up methadone in incarcerated persons with opioid use disorder and retain them on treatment after release in Moldova. THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF DRUG POLICY 2022; 104:103683. [PMID: 35417790 PMCID: PMC9827420 DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2022.103683] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2021] [Revised: 03/30/2022] [Accepted: 04/01/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Eastern Europe and Central Asia have intertwined HIV and incarceration epidemics, concentrated in people who inject drugs. Moldova is one of the few countries in this region that offers methadone within prisons, but uptake and post-release retention remains suboptimal. Screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment (SBIRT) procedures are a potential implementation strategy to address this problem. METHODS From June 1, 2017 to March 3, 2018, we conducted a 2-stage SBIRT strategy in nine prisons and four pre-trial detention facilities in Moldova among incarcerated persons with opioid use disorder (OUD; N = 121) and within 90 days of release. Survey results were analyzed to evaluate the effect of the SBIRT strategy on the uptake of and post-release retention on methadone maintenance treatment (MMT). RESULTS Among the 121 screened with OUD, 27 were on MMT at baseline within the prison and this number increased to 41 after the two-step SBIRT intervention, reflecting a 51.9% increase over baseline. Eleven (78.6%) of the 14 participants that newly started MMT did so only after completing both SBIRT sessions. The brief intervention did not significantly improve knowledge about methadone but did improve attitudes towards it. Among the 41 participants who received methadone during this trial, 40 (97.6%) were retained 6 months after release; the one participant not retained was on methadone at the time of the intervention and had planned to taper off. CONCLUSION The SBIRT strategy significantly improved participant attitudes, but treatment initiation mostly occurred after completing both sessions, including soon after release, but remained low overall. Work within the Moldovan prison subculture to dispel negative myths and misinformation is needed to further scale-up OAT in Moldova.
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Affiliation(s)
- Coriann E Dorgay
- Yale School of Public Health, Yale University, 60 College Street, New Haven, Connecticut, 06510, United States
| | - Daniel J Bromberg
- Yale School of Public Health, Yale University, 60 College Street, New Haven, Connecticut, 06510, United States; Yale Center for Interdisciplinary Research on AIDS, Yale University, 135 College Street, New Haven, Connecticut, 06510, United States
| | - Svetlana Doltu
- Act For Involvement, 7A Varșovia street, Chișinău, 2060, Republic of Moldova
| | - Taylor Litz
- Yale School of Medicine, Yale University, 135 College Street, New Haven, Connecticut, 06510, United States
| | - Samy Galvez
- Yale Center for Interdisciplinary Research on AIDS, Yale University, 135 College Street, New Haven, Connecticut, 06510, United States; Yale School of Medicine, Yale University, 135 College Street, New Haven, Connecticut, 06510, United States
| | - Maxim Polonsky
- Yale School of Medicine, Yale University, 135 College Street, New Haven, Connecticut, 06510, United States
| | - Sergey Dvoryak
- Ukrainian Institute on Public Health Policy, 5 Biloruska Str. Office 20, 27, Kyiv, 04050 Ukraine
| | - Frederick L Altice
- Yale School of Public Health, Yale University, 60 College Street, New Haven, Connecticut, 06510, United States; Yale Center for Interdisciplinary Research on AIDS, Yale University, 135 College Street, New Haven, Connecticut, 06510, United States; Yale School of Medicine, Yale University, 135 College Street, New Haven, Connecticut, 06510, United States; University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
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26
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Meyers-Pantele SA, Mittal ML, Jain S, Sun S, Rammohan I, Fairbairn N, Milloy MJ, DeBeck K, Hayashi K, Werb D. The influence of poly-drug use patterns on the association between opioid agonist treatment engagement and injecting initiation assistance. Subst Abuse Treat Prev Policy 2022; 17:39. [PMID: 35590419 PMCID: PMC9118611 DOI: 10.1186/s13011-022-00470-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Evidence suggests people who inject drugs (PWID) prescribed opioid agonist treatment (OAT) are less likely to provide injection drug use (IDU) initiation assistance. We investigated the association between OAT engagement and providing IDU initiation assistance across poly-drug use practices in Vancouver, Canada. METHODS Preventing Injecting by Modifying Existing Responses (PRIMER) is a prospective study seeking to identify structural interventions that reduce IDU initiation. We employed data from linked cohorts of PWID in Vancouver and extended the findings of a latent profile analysis (LPA). Multivariable logistic regression models were performed separately for the six poly-drug use LPA classes. The outcome was recently assisting others in IDU initiation; the independent variable was recent OAT engagement. RESULTS Among participants (n = 1218), 85 (7.0%) reported recently providing injection initiation assistance. When adjusting for age and sex, OAT engagement among those who reported a combination of high-frequency heroin and methamphetamine IDU and low-to-moderate-frequency prescription opioid IDU and methamphetamine non-injection drug use (NIDU) was associated with lower odds of IDU initiation assistance provision (Adjusted Odds Ratio [AOR]: 0.18, 95% CI: 0.05-0.63, P = 0.008). Significant associations were not detected among other LPA classes. CONCLUSIONS Our findings extend evidence suggesting that OAT may provide a population-level protective effect on the incidence of IDU initiation and suggest that this effect may be specific among PWID who engage in high-frequency methamphetamine and opioid use. Future research should seek to longitudinally investigate potential causal pathways explaining the association between OAT and initiation assistance provision among PWID to develop tailored intervention efforts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie A Meyers-Pantele
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health, Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA, 92093-0507, USA
- Department of Psychology, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Maria Luisa Mittal
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health, Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA, 92093-0507, USA
- School of Medicine, Universidad Xochicalco, Tijuana, BC, Mexico
| | - Sonia Jain
- Department of Family Medicine and Public Health, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Shelly Sun
- Department of Family Medicine and Public Health, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Indhu Rammohan
- Centre on Drug Policy Evaluation, St. Michael's Hospital, 30 Bond Street, Toronto, ON, M5B 1W8, Canada
| | - Nadia Fairbairn
- British Columbia Centre on Substance Use, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Department of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - M-J Milloy
- British Columbia Centre on Substance Use, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Department of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Kora DeBeck
- British Columbia Centre on Substance Use, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- School of Public Policy, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Kanna Hayashi
- British Columbia Centre on Substance Use, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Dan Werb
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health, Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA, 92093-0507, USA.
- Centre on Drug Policy Evaluation, St. Michael's Hospital, 30 Bond Street, Toronto, ON, M5B 1W8, Canada.
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27
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Extending a lifeline to people with HIV and opioid use disorder during the war in Ukraine. Lancet Public Health 2022; 7:e482-e484. [PMID: 35358424 PMCID: PMC9818031 DOI: 10.1016/s2468-2667(22)00083-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2022] [Accepted: 03/16/2022] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
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28
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Bachireddy C, Shrestha R, Bromberg DJ, Azbel L, Kurmanalieva A, Wegman M, Shumskaya N, Rozanova J, Meyer JP, Altice FL. Methadone within prison and linkage to and retention in treatment upon community release for people with opioid use disorder in Kyrgyzstan: Evaluation of a national program. THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF DRUG POLICY 2022; 101:103558. [PMID: 34915426 PMCID: PMC9998103 DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2021.103558] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2021] [Revised: 11/07/2021] [Accepted: 11/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND HIV incidence in Eastern Europe and Central Asia (EECA) continues to increase, primarily among people who inject drugs (PWID) and people in prisons. In Kyrgyzstan, an estimated 35% of people in prison are PWID, and 10% have been diagnosed with HIV. In 2008, Kyrgyzstan became the first country in EECA to provide free and voluntary methadone in prisons. We examine the impact of this national program on methadone within prison as well as linkage to and retention in treatment upon release to the community. METHODS Administrative data from a national methadone registry with de-identified information were assessed retrospectively. We examined the delivery of methadone services, including the duration of treatment both within prison and after release, for all prisoners who were prescribed methadone in Kyrgyz prisons from 2008 to 2018. Reasons for discontinuing methadone, HIV status and methadone dose are also analyzed. RESULTS Between 2008 and 2018, nine of Kyrgyzstan's 16 prisons offered methadone, and 982 incarcerated people initiated methadone within prison. Prisoners prescribed methadone were mostly male (96.2%), in their mid-30s (mean=34.9 years), and had been incarcerated for a relatively long time (mean = 44.1 months); their mean treatment duration in prison was 12.5 months, and 31.6% had HIV. A subsample (N = 645; 65.7%) of these were released to the community. Of these 645 people, 356 (55.2%) were not taking methadone at the time of release, 128 (19.8%) were on methadone and continued it after release, and the remainder (N=161, 25.0%) were on methadone at the time of release, but subsequently discontinued it, most within the first 7 days after release. Among those continuing methadone, 14.8% (N=19) remained on treatment ≥ 12 months. Independent correlates of linkage to methadone after release included positive HIV status (adjusted hazard ratio (aHR)=1.55; p = 0.033), receipt of methadone before their incarceration (aHR=2.01; p = 0.039), and receipt of methadone at the time of release (aHR = 20.81; p<0.001). CONCLUSION This is the first evaluation of within-prison methadone treatment in EECA. Uptake of methadone within prison and retention in treatment after release were both low. Continuous maintenance of treatment throughout incarceration is an opportunity to optimize HIV prevention and link patients to methadone post-release.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chethan Bachireddy
- Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, Richmond, VA, United States; Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PS, United States
| | - Roman Shrestha
- Department of Allied Health Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, United States; Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - Daniel J Bromberg
- Yale University School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, United States; Center for Interdisciplinary Research on AIDS, Yale University, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - Lyu Azbel
- Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States
| | | | - Martin Wegman
- University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
| | - Natalya Shumskaya
- Center for Interdisciplinary Research on AIDS, Yale University, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - Julia Rozanova
- Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - Jaimie P Meyer
- Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - Frederick L Altice
- Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States; Yale University School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, United States; Center for Interdisciplinary Research on AIDS, Yale University, New Haven, CT, United States.
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29
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Different drugs come with different motives: Examining motives for substance use among people who engage in polysubstance use undergoing methadone maintenance therapy (MMT). Drug Alcohol Depend 2021; 229:109133. [PMID: 34768142 DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2021.109133] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2021] [Revised: 09/10/2021] [Accepted: 10/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Substance use motives (i.e., reasons for using a substance) are thought to be the most proximal variable leading to substance use. These motives have been described by various typologies, the most well known being the four-factor drinking motives model which separates motives into enhancement, social, coping, and conformity (Cooper, 1994). Although extensively studied in adult community samples, motives for use have less commonly been investigated among populations at a later stage of addiction, where polysubstance use is more common. Moreover, because the motives literature has largely focused on drinking motives, it is not clear whether existing findings can also be applied to other substances (Cooper et al., 2016). METHODS Using Zero-inflated beta Bayesian linear mixed modeling, we investigated the stability of seven distinct substance use motives (enhancement, social, expansion, coping with anxiety, coping with depression, coping with withdrawal, and conformity) across six different drug categories (tobacco, alcohol, cannabis, opioids, stimulants, and tranquilisers) to determine the extent to which drug class can influence motive endorsement. One-hundred-and-thirty-eight methadone maintenance therapy (MMT) clients (F = 34.1%; M = 65.9%; age = 40.18 years) completed a novel short-form polysubstance motives questionnaire. RESULTS External motives (i.e., conformity and social motives) were the most stable across drug categories, while all internal motives (i.e., enhancement, expansion, and all three coping motives) demonstrated varying levels of inter-drug variability. CONCLUSIONS These findings have important implications for prevention and intervention strategies among people who engage in polysubstance use, highlighting the importance of both universal and substance-specific programming.
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Woody GE. Commentary on Farnum et al.: Agonist maintenance in Ukraine-ambivalence, success and moving forward. Addiction 2021; 116:94-95. [PMID: 33001461 DOI: 10.1111/add.15219] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2020] [Accepted: 08/06/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- George E Woody
- Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
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31
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Chandra DK, Altice FL, Copenhaver MM, Zhou X, Didomizio E, Shrestha R. Purposeful Fentanyl Use and Associated Factors among Opioid-Dependent People Who Inject Drugs. Subst Use Misuse 2021; 56:979-987. [PMID: 33769199 DOI: 10.1080/10826084.2021.1901931] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Introduction: In recent years, opioid-related mortality has increased steadily in the United States. Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid, has been a primary driver of the current wave of overdose-related deaths. Little is known, however, about fentanyl use among opioid-dependent people who inject drugs (PWID). We, therefore, sought to characterize purposeful fentanyl use among PWID. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was administrated to 104 opioid-dependent PWID on methadone who self-reported drug- or sex-related risk behaviors. Participants were recruited between July 2018 and October 2019 from a methadone clinic in New Haven, Connecticut. Multivariable logistic regressions were used to identify independent correlates of purposeful fentanyl use. Results: Overall, 43.2% and 22.1% of the participants reported any (lifetime) or recent (past 30 days) purposeful fentanyl use, respectively. Independent correlates of any purposeful fentanyl use were younger age (aOR= 0.94; p = 0.021), recent daily injection (aOR= 3.52; p = 0.047), recent cocaine use (aOR= 3.54; p = 0.041), and moderate/severe depression (aOR= 3.82; p = 0.028). Independent correlates of recent purposeful fentanyl use were moderate/severe depression (aOR= 10.94; p = 0.031), recently sharing injection equipment (aOR= 2.96; p = 0.044), and recently engaging in transactional sex (aOR= 3.60; p = 0.026). Conclusions: These findings indicate that opioid-dependent PWID on methadone remain at increased risk for overdose given the high prevalence of ongoing purposeful fentanyl exposure. Interventions to reduce the harms associated with fentanyl use should target young PWID and active fentanyl users, with an emphasis on achieving adequate methadone dosage and screening and treating depression in methadone-maintained patients who preferentially seek fentanyl.
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Affiliation(s)
- Divya K Chandra
- Section of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.,University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington, Connecticut, USA
| | - Frederick L Altice
- Section of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.,Institute for Collaboration on Health, Intervention, and Policy (InCHIP), University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut, USA
| | - Michael M Copenhaver
- Institute for Collaboration on Health, Intervention, and Policy (InCHIP), University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut, USA.,Department of Allied Health Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut, USA
| | - Xin Zhou
- Section of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Elizabeth Didomizio
- Section of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Roman Shrestha
- Section of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.,Institute for Collaboration on Health, Intervention, and Policy (InCHIP), University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut, USA
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Meteliuk A, Galvez de Leon SJ, Madden LM, Pykalo I, Fomenko T, Filippovych M, Farnum SO, Dvoryak S, Islam ZM, Altice FL. Rapid transitional response to the COVID-19 pandemic by opioid agonist treatment programs in Ukraine. J Subst Abuse Treat 2020; 121:108164. [PMID: 33191004 PMCID: PMC7769928 DOI: 10.1016/j.jsat.2020.108164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2020] [Revised: 09/15/2020] [Accepted: 10/07/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
On March 16, 2020, Ukraine's Ministry of Health issued nonspecific interim guidance to continue enrolling patients in opioid agonist therapies (OAT) and transition existing patients to take-home dosing to reduce community COVID-19 transmission. Though the number of OAT patients increased modestly, the proportion receiving take-home dosing increased from 57.5% to 82.2%, which translates on average to 963,952 fewer clinic interactions annually (range: 728,652-1,016,895) and potentially 80,329 (range: 60,721-84,741) fewer hours of in-person clinical encounters. During the transition, narcologists (addiction specialists) expressed concerns about overdoses, the guidance contradicting existing legislation, and patient dropout, either from incarceration or inadequate public transportation. Though clinicians did observe some overdoses, short-term overall mortality remained similar to the previous year. As the country relaxes the interim guidance, we do not know to what extent governmental guidance or clinical practice will change to adopt the new guidance permanently or revert to pre-guidance regulations. Some future considerations that have come from COVID-19 are should dosing schedules continue to be flexible, should clinicians adopt telehealth, and should there be more overdose education and naloxone distribution? OAT delivery has improved and become more efficient, but clinicians should plan long-term should COVID-19 return in the near future. If the new efficiencies are maintained, it will free the workforce to further scale up OAT.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Samy J Galvez de Leon
- Yale School of Medicine, Section of Infectious Diseases, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - Lynn M Madden
- Yale School of Medicine, Section of Infectious Diseases, New Haven, CT, United States; APT Foundation, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - Iryna Pykalo
- Ukrainian Institute on Public Health Policy, Kyiv, Ukraine
| | | | | | | | - Sergii Dvoryak
- Ukrainian Institute on Public Health Policy, Kyiv, Ukraine
| | | | - Frederick L Altice
- Yale School of Medicine, Section of Infectious Diseases, New Haven, CT, United States; APT Foundation, New Haven, CT, United States; Yale School of Public Health, Division of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, New Haven, CT, United States.
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