ArticleDrug and alcohol dependence2021
The impact of COVID-19 on opioid treatment programs in the United States.
Article in Drug and alcohol dependence, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 22 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
22 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 33 citations in OpenAlex.
- The impact of relaxing restrictions on take-home doses during the COVID-19 pandemic on program effectiveness and client experiences in opioid agonist treatment: a mixed methods systematic review.Substance abuse treatment, prevention, and policy · 2023Pooled it
- Modality and terminology changes for behavioral health service delivery during the COVID-19 pandemic: a systematic review.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2023Pooled it
- Impact of COVID-19-related methadone regulatory flexibilities: views of state opioid treatment authorities and program staff.Addiction science & clinical practice · 2023Trial
- The role of opioid treatment programs' crisis response on client perceptions of risk and impact.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Effectiveness of slow-release oral morphine versus other OAT regimens in key sub-populations: protocol for population-based target trial emulation.medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences · 2025Article
- Article
- Understanding the use of telemedicine across different opioid use disorder treatment models: A scoping review.Journal of telemedicine and telecare · 2025Article
- Features of drug addiction treatment programs in Atlantic Canada that help (or not) with access and retention: A qualitative study.PloS one · 2025Article
- Community coalitions' navigation of policies to address the opioid epidemic: insights from qualitative interviews in four states.BMJ public health · 2025Article
- Methadone treatment utilization and overdose trends among Medicaid beneficiaries in New Jersey before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.Journal of substance use and addiction treatment · 2024Article
- Structural and social changes due to the COVID-19 pandemic and their impact on engagement in substance use disorder treatment services: a qualitative study among people with a recent history of injection drug use in Baltimore, Maryland.Harm reduction journal · 2024Article
- Perceived Barriers and Facilitators of Behavioral-Health Modality Change Adoption During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Review.Journal of multidisciplinary healthcare · 2024Review
- How are state telehealth policies associated with services offered by substance use disorder treatment facilities? Evidence from 2019 to 2022.Drug and alcohol dependence · 2023Article
- Flexible delivery of opioid agonist treatment during COVID-19 in Norway: qualitative and quantitative findings from an online survey of provider experiences.BMC health services research · 2023Article
- Changes to methadone maintenance therapy in the United States, Canada, and Australia during the COVID-19 pandemic: A narrative review.Journal of substance use and addiction treatment · 2023Review
- Patient experiences of methadone treatment changes during the first wave of COVID-19: a national community-driven survey.Harm reduction journal · 2023Article
- Synthesising evidence of the effects of COVID-19 regulatory changes on methadone treatment for opioid use disorder: implications for policy.The Lancet. Public health · 2023Review
- Article
- Ethical Dilemmas Facing Substance Use Counselors During the COVID-19 Pandemic.Substance abuse : research and treatment · 2023Review
- A qualitative study exploring the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on People Who Inject Drugs (PWID) and drug service provision in the UK: PWID and service provider perspectives.The International journal on drug policy · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic had the potential to severely disrupt the delivery of methadone and buprenorphine, as social distancing and other public health regulations made in-person services difficult to maintain. Federal and state regulators changed requirements regarding the dispensing of medication and in-person counseling at opioid treatment programs. Understanding staff and patient reactions to these changes can help determine whether they should be maintained.
methodsWe interviewed 25 directors of OTP programs located throughout the United States. Note takers wrote summaries of each interview which were coded for topics and themes covered in the interview guide, including changes to clinic practices, take-home medications, telehealth, patient and staff reactions to new COVID-related protocols, and financial concerns for programs.
resultsMost programs rapidly incorporated new regulatory requirements, and directors were generally positive about the impact of increased take-home doses of medication and increased reliance on telehealth. Some directors voiced concerns about these changes, and some reported that patients missed the daily clinical contact with staff. Directors also suggested that more time was needed to assess the full impact of these changes. Financial impacts varied, although many directors were quick to point out that the ongoing opioid epidemic has delivered a steady stream of new patients, thus offsetting potential financial losses.
conclusionsOverall, this study demonstrated the generally positive view of OTP directors to the regulatory changes necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic. More time is needed to fully evaluate the impact of these changes on clinical outcomes.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.