Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37106338›Full record

ArticleInternational journal of emergency medicine2023

A qualitative study of people who use methamphetamine during the early COVID-19 pandemic to inform future ED harm reduction strategies.

Sophie C Morse, Callan Fockele, Ly Ngoc Huynh, Alina Zatzick, Lauren Kirsten Whiteside

Abstract read
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Article in International journal of emergency medicine, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

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1citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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3 · Its place in the literature

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1 citing paper in PubMed.

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Sophie C MorseDepartment of Emergency Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA. scmorse@uw.edu.
Callan FockeleDepartment of Emergency Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
Ly Ngoc HuynhDepartment of Emergency Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
Alina ZatzickDepartment of Emergency Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
Lauren Kirsten WhitesideDepartment of Emergency Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundMorbidity and mortality rates related to methamphetamine are on the rise. Simultaneously, social-distancing guidelines were issued in March 2020 to decrease transmission of COVID-19. The aim of this study was to explore concerns regarding methamphetamine use during the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent harm reduction strategies with patients who use methamphetamine to inform emergency department (ED)-based harm reduction approaches.

methodsA mixed-methods study of adults residing in Washington with high-risk methamphetamine use and a recent ED visit from April-September 2020 was performed. Participants completed a survey and a semi-structured interview on perceptions and experiences of COVID-19. Descriptive statistics were used for survey responses. Interview transcripts were analyzed and guided by modified grounded theory using an iterative approach to refine the guide and codebook. Interviews were independently coded by 2 investigators and discussed until consensus.

resultsTwenty-five participants completed the survey; 20 participants were interviewed (45% recently used heroin, 40% unstably housed). Thirty-five percent was worried about COVID-19 infection. Three themes emerged from the interviews: (1) increase in meth use, (2) interplay of meth obtention and COVID-19, and (3) interactions with healthcare and social services.

conclusionsPeople who use methamphetamine noted an increase in use along with the social distancing guidelines put in place for COVID-19 and employed a variety of harm reduction profiles when obtaining methamphetamine. Also, the pandemic brought difficulties in accessing care and amplified mistrust in healthcare instructions and public health messages. Based on these qualitative interviews, further work should consider aligning methamphetamine and COVID-19 harm reduction messages and working with trusted community resources to improve harm reduction strategies for methamphetamine use and COVID-19. IRB: Informed Consent by the University of Washington Human Subjects Division (approval number, STUDY00009277).

Indexed as

COVID-19EmergencyHarm reductionMethamphetamine

Identifiers

PMID37106338
PMCPMC10139825

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