ArticleEuropean journal of epidemiology2025
Cohort profile: the provincial opioid agonist treatment cohort in Ontario, Canada.
Article in European journal of epidemiology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.
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
5 citing papers in PubMed.
- Article
- A methodological framework for constructing opioid agonist therapy episodes in administrative health data.BMC methods · 2026Article
- Mapping the overdose crisis in Ontario: geographic disparities in opioid-related harms and services.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Primary care physician characteristics associated with becoming opioid agonist treatment prescribers in British Columbia: a retrospective case-control study.Harm reduction journal · 2025Article
- Observational
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundOpioid Agonist Treatment (OAT) is the most effective intervention for opioid use disorder (OUD), but retention has decreased due to increasingly potent drugs like fentanyl. This cohort can be used retrospectively to observe trends in service utilization, healthcare integration, healthcare costs and patient outcomes. It also facilitates the design of observational studies to mimic a prospective design.
methodsThis study used linked administrative data from ICES to create a cohort of 137,035 individuals who received at least one prescription of methadone or buprenorphine/naloxone between 2014 and 2022. Data were linked using de-identified personal health numbers. Variables included age, sex, rurality, income, homelessness, and mental health conditions. Regional differences in OAT use, retention, and mortality were analyzed.
resultsOf the cohort, 56.1% began OAT after 2014. Southern Ontario participants more often started on methadone (53.2%), while Northern Ontario patients favored buprenorphine/naloxone (62.7%). Northern patients were younger, more likely to be female, live in rural areas, and face homelessness. The death rate was higher in Southern Ontario (22.1%) than in Northern Ontario (13.2%). Retention declined over time, with 73.4% of patients remaining in treatment at the study's end.
conclusionsThe findings highlight regional disparities in OAT delivery and emphasize the need for region-specific strategies, particularly in rural areas, to improve retention and reduce mortality.
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