Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Editorial
. 2020 Jul 7;173(1):57-58.
doi: 10.7326/M20-1141. Epub 2020 Apr 2.

An Epidemic in the Midst of a Pandemic: Opioid Use Disorder and COVID-19

Affiliations
Editorial

An Epidemic in the Midst of a Pandemic: Opioid Use Disorder and COVID-19

G Caleb Alexander et al. Ann Intern Med. .

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic is a particularly grave risk to the millions of Americans with opioid use disorder, who—already vulnerable and marginalized—are heavily dependent on face-to-face health care delivery. These authors propose rapid and coordinated action on the part of clinicians and policymakers to mitigate risks of disrupted care for these patients.

Keywords: COVID-19; Food; Health care; Health care providers; Medicare; Opioid addiction; Opioids; Patients; Safety; Telemedicine.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Ferguson NM, Laydon D, Nedjati-Gilani G, et al. Impact of non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) to reduce COVID19 mortality and healthcare demand. Imperial College COVID-19 Response Team. Accessed at www.imperial.ac.uk/media/imperial-college/medicine/sph/ide/gida-fellowsh.... on 30 March 2020.
    1. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Federal Guidelines for Opioid Treatment Programs. HHS Publication No. (SMA) PEP15-FEDGUIDEOTP. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration; 2015.
    1. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Opioid Treatment Program (OTP) Guidance. Accessed at www.samhsa.gov/sites/default/files/otp-guidance-20200316.pdf. on 16 March 2020.
    1. Haffajee RL, Cherney S, Smart R. Legal requirements and recommendations to prescribe naloxone. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2020;209:107896. [PMID: 32058248] doi:10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2020.107896. - PMC - PubMed
    1. U.S. Department of Justice, Drug Enforcement Administration. COVID_19 Information Page: Telemedicine. Accessed at www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/coronavirus.html. on 18 March 2020.

Publication types

MeSH terms