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Changes in Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Opioid-Related Outcomes in Urban Areas during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Rapid Review of the Literature
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Changes in Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Opioid-Related Outcomes in Urban Areas during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Rapid Review of the Literature

Kara Moran, Pricila Mullachery, Stephen Lankenau and Usama Bilal
International journal of environmental research and public health, v 19(15), p9283
01 Jan 2022
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19159283
Featured in Collection :   UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel
url
https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19159283View
Published, Version of Record (VoR)CC BY V4.0,  Open

Abstract

Cities Coronaviruses COVID-19 Cultural differences Drug abuse Drug overdose Drug use Emergency services Ethnicity Literature reviews Minority & ethnic groups Mortality Narcotics Opioids Pacific Islander people Pandemics Public health Race Shelter in place Substance abuse treatment Telemedicine Urban areas
Opioid use disorders (OUDs) are increasingly common among minoritized populations, who have historically experienced limited access to healthcare, a situation that may have worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using a structured keyword search in Pubmed, we reviewed the literature to synthesize the evidence on changes in racial/ethnic disparities in OUD-related outcomes in urban areas during the COVID-19 pandemic in the US. Nine articles were included in the final analysis. Six found increases in OUD-related outcomes during the pandemic, with four showing a widening of disparities. Results also point to the worsening of opioid outcomes among Black and Latinx individuals related to shelter-in-place or stay-at-home orders. Studies examining the use of telehealth and access to OUD treatment showed that minoritized groups have benefited from telehealth programs. The limited number of studies in a small number of jurisdictions indicate a gap in research examining the intersection between COVID-19 and OUD-related outcomes with a focus on disparities. More research is needed to understand the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and related policies on OUD outcomes among racial/ethnic minoritized groups, including examining the impact of service disruptions on vulnerable groups with OUD.

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10 Record Views
5 citations in Web of Science
4 citations in Scopus

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UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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#3 Good Health and Well-Being

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Collaboration types
Domestic collaboration
Web of Science research areas
Environmental Sciences
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
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