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. 2020 Aug 8;18(1):88.
doi: 10.1186/s12961-020-00598-6.

The opioid crisis: need for systems science research

Mohammad S Jalali  1   2 , Michael Botticelli  3 , Rachael C Hwang  4 , Howard K Koh  5   6 , R Kathryn McHugh  7   8
Affiliations

The opioid crisis: need for systems science research

Mohammad S Jalali et al. Health Res Policy Syst. .

Abstract

The opioid epidemic in the United States has had a devastating impact on millions of people as well as on their families and communities. The increased prevalence of opioid misuse, use disorder and overdose in recent years has highlighted the need for improved public health approaches for reducing the tremendous harms of this illness. In this paper, we explain and call for the need for more systems science approaches, which can uncover the complexities of the opioid crisis, and help evaluate, analyse and forecast the effectiveness of ongoing and new policy interventions. Similar to how a stream of systems science research helped policy development in infectious diseases and obesity, more systems science research is needed in opioids.

Keywords: opioid use disorder; opioids; simulation modelling; systems science.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

References

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