ArticleInternational journal of environmental research and public health2022
The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Drug Use Behaviors, Fentanyl Exposure, and Harm Reduction Service Support among People Who Use Drugs in Rural Settings.
Article in International journal of environmental research and public health, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 57 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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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.
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Who cites it
57 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 80 citations in OpenAlex.
- Assessing coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic impacts on the health of people who inject drugs using a novel data sharing model.AIDS (London, England) · 2025Pooled it
- Substance use and mental health before versus during COVID-19 pandemic among persons who inject drugs with HCV infection history-the HERO study.Harm reduction journal · 2026Trial
- Experiences of People Who Use Drugs in Rural Southeastern Ohio During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Harm Reduction, Substance Use Treatment, and Trusted Information Sources.Journal of studies on alcohol and drugs · 2026Article
- Emergency preparedness planning: lessons from COVID-19 and the opioid crisis in rural Ohio.medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences · 2026Article
- Uncovering phenotypic diversity and cell-type-specific prefrontal cortex calcium dynamics in rat fentanyl self-administration.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- HIV-Stigmatizing Beliefs and Attitudes as a Barrier to Early PrEP Care Continuum Engagement Among People Who Inject Drugs.AIDS and behavior · 2026Article
- Feasibility and Acceptability of Restroom Motion Sensors for Detecting Overdoses.Substance use & addiction journal · 2026Article
- Impact of Social Drivers of Health, Self-Efficacy, and Substance Use on COVID-19 Preventative Behaviors Among Persons Who Inject Drugs with Hepatitis C: The HERO Study.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2026Article
- Trends of incident stimulant use disorder diagnoses before and after the COVID-19 pandemic in British Columbia (2013-2024): a population-based study.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Article
- Integration of safer smoking equipment in U.S. syringe services programs: Qualitative insights from program staff.The International journal on drug policy · 2026Article
- Large-Scale Deep Learning-Enabled Infodemiological Analysis of Substance Use Patterns on Social Media: Insights From the COVID-19 Pandemic.JMIR infodemiology · 2025Article
- Co-development of a community pharmacy training regarding fentanyl and xylazine test strips.Exploratory research in clinical and social pharmacy · 2025Article
- Evaluating maternal drug use disparities, risk factors and outcomes in Northeast Arkansas: a pre, during, and post-COVID-19 pandemic analysis.BMC public health · 2025Article
- An interrupted time series analysis of fentanyl, naloxone, and opioid-involved deaths in five counties in Eastern Missouri.Journal of substance use and addiction treatment · 2025Article
- The impact of Covid-19 on harm reduction policies in Iran: an interrupted time series analysis.Harm reduction journal · 2025Article
- Psychiatric Medication Treatment, Concurrent Substance Use, and Subsistence Difficulty Among People Who Inject Drugs with Diagnosed Mental Health Disorders in Los Angeles and Denver.Substance use & misuse · 2025Article
- Article
- Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the availability and retail price of unregulated drugs in Vancouver, Canada: An interrupted time-series analysis, 2018-2022.The International journal on drug policy · 2024Article
- Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Emergency Department Visits for Opioid Use Disorder Across University of California Health Centers.The western journal of emergency medicine · 2024Article
- Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
12 authors at 6 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic has worsened the opioid overdose crisis in the US. Rural communities have been disproportionately affected by opioid use and people who use drugs in these settings may be acutely vulnerable to pandemic-related disruptions due to high rates of poverty, social isolation, and pervasive resource limitations.
methodsWe performed a mixed-methods study to assess the impact of the pandemic in a convenience sample of people who use drugs in rural Illinois. We conducted 50 surveys capturing demographics, drug availability, drug use, sharing practices, and mental health symptoms. In total, 19 qualitative interviews were performed to further explore COVID-19 knowledge, impact on personal and community life, drug acquisition and use, overdose, and protective substance use adaptations.
resultsDrug use increased during the pandemic, including the use of fentanyl products such as gel encapsulated "beans" and "buttons". Disruptions in supply, including the decreased availability of heroin, increased methamphetamine costs and a concomitant rise in local methamphetamine production, and possible fentanyl contamination of methamphetamine was reported. Participants reported increased drug use alone, experience and/or witness of overdose, depression, anxiety, and loneliness. Consistent access to harm reduction services, including naloxone and fentanyl test strips, was highlighted as a source of hope and community resiliency.
conclusionsThe COVID-19 pandemic period was characterized by changing drug availability, increased overdose risk, and other drug-related harms faced by people who use drugs in rural areas. Our findings emphasize the importance of ensuring access to harm reduction services, including overdose prevention and drug checking for this vulnerable population.
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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.