Inability to contact opioid agonist therapy prescribers during the COVID-19 pandemic in a Canadian setting: a cross-sectional analysis among people on opioid agonist therapy.
Soroush MoallefKora DeBeckNadia FairbairnZishan CuiRupinder BrarDean WilsonCheyenne JohnsonM-J MilloyKanna Hayashi PhDPublished in: Addiction science & clinical practice (2022)
Overall, approximately one fifth of the sample reported inability to contact their OAT prescribers when needed, and those people were more likely to have co-occurring vulnerabilities (i.e., co-morbidities, inability to access health/social services) and higher vulnerability to COVID-19. Interventions are needed to ensure optimal access to OAT and mitigate the deepening health inequities resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic and the escalating drug poisoning crisis.