Galway-Roscommon Mental Health Services, University Hospital Galway, Galway, Ireland.
National Social Inclusion Office, Mill Lane, Palmerstown, Dublin 20, Ireland.
Ir J Psychol Med. 2021 Dec;38(4):301-306. doi: 10.1017/ipm.2021.8. Epub 2021 Feb 4.
The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic has presented the addiction services with an unprecedented set of challenges. Opioid users are particularly vulnerable because of their high level of pre-existing health problems and lifestyle factors. In order to minimise their risks to self and to others in the current Covid-19 crisis, addiction services sought to urgently identify vulnerable individuals, and induct them into opioid substitution treatment (OST) promptly. Additionally, several guidelines were created and regularly updated by the health and safety executive (HSE) for any healthcare staff working with opioid users. These include guidance documents, to facilitate prompt induction of patients onto the OST programme, the prescribing of naloxone to all patients at risk of overdose, eConsultation, medication management for those in self-isolation, and the delivery of injecting equipment. The guidance documents and resources will provide a template for a new way of working for the sector during these challenging times and into the future.
COVID-19 大流行的出现给成瘾服务带来了前所未有的一系列挑战。由于阿片类使用者先前存在的健康问题和生活方式因素，他们特别容易受到影响。为了将他们在当前 COVID-19 危机中的自身风险和对他人的风险降到最低，成瘾服务部门试图紧急确定易受感染的个体，并迅速将他们纳入阿片类药物替代治疗 (OST)。此外，卫生和安全执行局 (HSE) 为任何与阿片类使用者合作的医护人员制定并定期更新了几项准则。其中包括指导文件，以促进将患者迅速纳入 OST 计划，向所有有过量用药风险的患者开具纳洛酮处方、电子咨询、自我隔离患者的药物管理以及注射设备的提供。这些指导文件和资源将为该行业在这些充满挑战的时期及未来提供一种新的工作方式模板。
