ArticleBMC public health2022
Opioid agonist treatment (OAT) experiences and release plans among federally incarcerated individuals with opioid use disorder (OUD) in Ontario, Canada: a mixed-methods study.
Article in BMC public health, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 15 papers, 2 of them syntheses 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
15 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 20 citations in OpenAlex.
- Best practice guidelines for viral hepatitis service delivery in prisons.The Lancet. Infectious diseases · 2026Pooled it
- Drug use among people in prison: A global review of epidemiology, harms and interventions.Addiction (Abingdon, England) · 2026Pooled it
- Treatment satisfaction and patient reported outcomes among people with opioid use disorder participating in an open-label, non-randomised trial of long-acting injectable buprenorphine treatment in Australian custodial settings.Drug and alcohol review · 2025Trial
- Policy changes in opioid agonist therapy and impacts on HIV and hepatitis C prevention in Canadian federal prisons.Lancet regional health. Americas · 2026Article
- Experiences of People Who Discontinue Long-Acting Injectable Buprenorphine Treatment Recently Released From Prison in New South Wales, Australia.Drug and alcohol review · 2026Article
- Methods and tools used to assess patient experience with healthcare services in prisons: a scoping review.International journal for quality in health care : journal of the International Society for Quality in Health Care · 2026Article
- Structural violence, decolonization and harm reduction in prisons: a critical perspective on opioid use disorders, gender and race.Frontiers in sociology · 2026Article
- Multilevel determinants of medication preferences for opioid use disorder among criminal-legal-involved populations: Insights from a scoping review.Drug and alcohol dependence reports · 2025Review
- The State of Mental Health Services for Incarcerated Adults in Ontario: A Scoping Review.International journal of offender therapy and comparative criminology · 2025Article
- Challenges and recommendations for overdose prevention and harm reduction in an era of fentanyl and xylazine: Perspectives of women with opioid use disorder and professionals.Psychology of addictive behaviors : journal of the Society of Psychologists in Addictive Behaviors · 2024Article
- Normalizing fentanyl: interpreting the perceived 'risk' of correctional officer work.Addiction science & clinical practice · 2024Article
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- Association of Mental Health Services Access and Reincarceration Among Adults Released From Prison in British Columbia, Canada.JAMA network open · 2022Article
- Barriers and facilitators to opioid agonist treatment (OAT) engagement among individuals released from federal incarceration into the community in Ontario, Canada.International journal of qualitative studies on health and well-being · 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
7 authors at 4 institutions in 4 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundIncarcerated populations experience an elevated prevalence of opioid use disorder (OUD). Federal correctional institutions in Canada have increasingly treated OUD among correctional populations via opioid agonist treatment (OAT) - an evidence based pharmacotherapy that works to reduce drug use and related health harms. However, there is limited evidence regarding incarcerated individuals' experiences with institutional-based OAT, as well potential OAT-related community release prospects. This information is important for optimal treatment retention and improved health. To address this knowledge gap, we conducted a longitudinal follow-up study examining OAT-related experiences among federally incarcerated individuals before and after community release. This article focuses on the baseline (pre-release) data.
methodsThis mixed-methods study examined OAT-related experiences and release prospects among n = 46 individuals scheduled for community release, recruited from seven federal prisons located in Ontario, Canada. Participants underwent a comprehensive interviewer-administered on-site assessment, including quantitative and qualitative items. Assessment data was furthermore linked to administrative correctional data. Data were analyzed using thematic qualitative and descriptive quantitative approaches.
resultsParticipants had complex histories with opioid use including related negative health outcomes. Experiences with institutional OAT were divergent and provision was not standardized; those with OAT engagement pre-admission did not experience many challenges, whereas those initiating OAT during incarceration experienced barriers such as treatment waitlists and adverse process experiences. Most participants expressed a preference for buprenorphine-naloxone over methadone, but described difficulties accessing it. Participants were keen to transition into community-based treatment, yet envisaged prospective barriers and facilitators concerning successful reintegration and treatment continuity.
conclusionsMajor barriers towards the current administration of OAT in federal correctional systems in Canada exist, including extensive waitlists, non-standardized practices, and challenges accessing preferred OAT formulations; this contributes to sub-optimal treatment. Eliminating waitlists, standardizing OAT provision, providing additional OAT options, and more comprehensive release planning may be essential for treatment retention and positive outcomes.
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Registered trials
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