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Review
. 2019 Nov 25;19(1):884.
doi: 10.1186/s12913-019-4751-4.

Opioid use disorder and treatment: challenges and opportunities

Kim A Hoffman  1 , Javier Ponce Terashima  2 , Dennis McCarty  3
Affiliations
Review

Opioid use disorder and treatment: challenges and opportunities

Kim A Hoffman et al. BMC Health Serv Res. .

Abstract

Background: Addiction health service researchers have focused efforts on opioid use disorder (OUD) and strategies to address the emerging public health threats associated with the epidemics of opioid use and opioid overdose. The increase in OUD is associated with widespread access to prescription opioid analgesics, enhanced purity of heroin, the introduction of potent illicit fentanyl compounds, and a rising tide of opioid overdose fatalities. These deaths have become the face of the opioid epidemic.

Main text: OUD is a chronic disorder that usually requires both medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) and psychosocial treatment and support. Research has found that MOUD with an opioid receptor agonist (methadone), partial agonist (buprenorphine), or opioid antagonist (extended-release naltrexone) can support recovery. Despite compelling evidence that MOUD are effective, they remain underutilized. More research is needed on these therapies to understand the feasibility of implementation in clinic settings.

Conclusion: This special issue focuses on how health services research has emerged as an important contributor to efforts to control the opioid epidemic in North America and Europe.

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Conflict of interest statement

Dr. Kim Hoffman is an associated editor for BMC Health Services Research and serves with Dr. Dennis McCarty as managing editor for the special issue on opioid use disorder.

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MeSH terms