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
. 2023;21(2):890-895.
doi: 10.1007/s11469-021-00629-5. Epub 2021 Aug 27.

Potential Effects of Digital Inequality on Treatment Seeking for Opioid Use Disorder

Renee Garett  1 , Sean D Young  2   3
Affiliations
Editorial

Potential Effects of Digital Inequality on Treatment Seeking for Opioid Use Disorder

Renee Garett et al. Int J Ment Health Addict. 2023.

Abstract

Despite the availability of effective treatment, medications for opioid use disorder are underutilized due to a variety of practical, political, and psychological reasons. Digital inequalities, such as limited access to technology, skills to leverage the technology for desirable outcomes, and social resources, may be contributing to negative health outcomes. In addition, broader health literacy plays an integral part in the capacity of individuals to appraise opioid medication-related online information. This paper explores the role of digital inequalities in the uptake of treatment for opioid use disorder. Given the shift toward telemedicine and online counseling for substance use treatment as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic, more research into the digital inequalities faced by those who misuse opioids may provide insight into ways of engaging and encouraging this population to utilize treatment.

Keywords: Digital inequality; Health literacy; Medications for opioid use disorder; Opioid use disorder.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of InterestThe authors declare no competing interests.

References

    1. An L, Bacon E, Hawley S, Yang P, Russell D, Huffman S, Resnicow K. Relationship between coronavirus-related eHealth literacy and COVID-19 knowledge, attitudes, and practices among US adults: Web-based survey study. Journal of Medical Internet Research. 2021;23(3):e25042. doi: 10.2196/25042. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Ashford RD, Lynch K, Curtis B. Technology and social media use among patients enrolled in outpatient addiction treatment programs: Cross-sectional survey study. Journal of Medical Internet Research. 2018;20(3):e9172. doi: 10.2196/jmir.9172. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2021, March 17). Understanding the epidemic. CDC.Gov. https://www.cdc.gov/drugoverdose/epidemic/index.html
    1. D’Agostino AR, Optican AR, Sowles SJ, Krauss MJ, Escobar Lee K, Cavazos-Rehg PA. Social networking online to recover from opioid use disorder: A study of community interactions. Drug and Alcohol Dependence. 2017;181:5–10. doi: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2017.09.010. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Dahlman D, Ekefäll M, Garpenhag L. Health literacy among Swedish patients in opioid substitution treatment: A mixed-methods study. Drug and Alcohol Dependence. 2020;214:108186. doi: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2020.108186. - DOI - PubMed

Publication types