College of Nursing and Health Professions, Drexel University, 1601 Cherry Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102, USA.
Urban Health Collaborative, Dornsife School of Public Health, Drexel University, 3600 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Jul 29;19(15):9283. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19159283.
Opioid use disorders (OUDs) are increasingly common among minoritized populations, who have historically experienced limited access to healthcare, a situation that may have worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using a structured keyword search in Pubmed, we reviewed the literature to synthesize the evidence on changes in racial/ethnic disparities in OUD-related outcomes in urban areas during the COVID-19 pandemic in the US. Nine articles were included in the final analysis. Six found increases in OUD-related outcomes during the pandemic, with four showing a widening of disparities. Results also point to the worsening of opioid outcomes among Black and Latinx individuals related to shelter-in-place or stay-at-home orders. Studies examining the use of telehealth and access to OUD treatment showed that minoritized groups have benefited from telehealth programs. The limited number of studies in a small number of jurisdictions indicate a gap in research examining the intersection between COVID-19 and OUD-related outcomes with a focus on disparities. More research is needed to understand the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and related policies on OUD outcomes among racial/ethnic minoritized groups, including examining the impact of service disruptions on vulnerable groups with OUD.
阿片类药物使用障碍（OUDs）在少数族裔人群中越来越常见，他们在历史上获得医疗保健的机会有限，这种情况在 COVID-19 大流行期间可能恶化了。我们使用 Pubmed 中的结构化关键字搜索，综述了美国 COVID-19 大流行期间城市地区 OUD 相关结果的种族/民族差异变化的证据。最终分析包括 9 篇文章。其中 6 项研究发现，大流行期间 OUD 相关结果增加，其中 4 项研究显示差异扩大。研究结果还表明，与就地避难或居家令相关，黑人及拉丁裔个体的阿片类药物结果恶化。研究考察了远程医疗的使用和阿片类药物使用障碍治疗的可及性，表明少数族裔群体从远程医疗计划中受益。在少数司法管辖区进行的为数不多的研究表明，在研究 COVID-19 与 OUD 相关结果的交叉点以及关注差异方面存在研究空白。需要更多的研究来了解 COVID-19 大流行和相关政策对少数族裔 OUD 结果的影响，包括研究服务中断对有 OUD 的弱势群体的影响。
