Department of Psychology, Ohio University, Athens, Ohio, USA.
Department of Social Medicine, Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine, Ohio University, Athens, Ohio, USA.
Subst Abus. 2021;42(4):466-470. doi: 10.1080/08897077.2021.1901172. Epub 2021 Mar 24.
The United States has experienced substantial consequences associated with the opioid epidemic. One such consequence has been an increased need for patients who misuse opioids to interface with health care professionals. As such, it is important to understand physician attitudes toward and experiences with this patient population. The goal of this paper is to assess the extent to which physicians hold negative attitudes toward patients who misuse opioids and whether this patient population receives differential treatment. Using a mixed methods design, we surveyed board-certified physicians in Ohio regarding their attitudes toward patients who misuse opioids as well as their observations of bias toward these patients in health care settings. Our findings suggest that negative attitudes toward patients who misuse opioids are common among physicians as were personal experiences of bias toward this patient population. We also found that physicians rationalized treating these patients differently and perceived barriers to achieving more equitable treatment. Finally, some physicians expressed a desire for additional training and resources to reduce bias. Negative attitudes toward patients who misuse opioids may serve as a critical barrier to patients accessing care in areas heavily affected by the U.S. opioid epidemic.
美国已经经历了与阿片类药物泛滥相关的重大后果。其中之一就是需要更多滥用阿片类药物的患者与医疗保健专业人员进行互动。因此，了解医生对这一患者群体的态度和经验非常重要。本文的目的是评估医生对滥用阿片类药物的患者持有负面态度的程度，以及该患者群体是否受到不同的待遇。 我们使用混合方法设计，对俄亥俄州的认证医生进行了调查，了解他们对滥用阿片类药物患者的态度，以及他们在医疗环境中观察到的对这些患者的偏见。 我们的研究结果表明，医生对滥用阿片类药物的患者持负面态度很常见，而且他们个人也经历过对这一患者群体的偏见。我们还发现，医生为了区别对待这些患者而合理化，并认为在实现更公平的治疗方面存在障碍。最后，一些医生表示希望获得更多的培训和资源，以减少偏见。 对滥用阿片类药物的患者的负面态度可能是患者在受美国阿片类药物泛滥影响严重的地区获得医疗服务的一个关键障碍。
