King, Caroline and Vega, Taylor and Button, Dana and Nicolaidis, Christina and Gregg, Jessica and Englander, Honora (2021) Understanding the impact of the SARS-COV-2 pandemic on hospitalized patients with substance use disorder. PLoS ONE, 16, (2), e0247951. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0247951.
External website: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.13...
BACKGROUND
The SARS-COV-2 pandemic rapidly shifted dynamics around hospitalization for many communities. This study aimed to evaluate how the pandemic altered the experience of healthcare, acute illness, and care transitions among hospitalized patients with substance use disorder (SUD).
METHODS
We performed a qualitative study at an academic medical center in Portland, Oregon, in Spring 2020. We conducted semi-structured interviews, and conducted a thematic analysis, using an inductive approach, at a semantic level.
RESULTS
We enrolled 27 participants, and identified four main themes: 1) shuttered community resources threatened patients' basic survival adaptations; 2) changes in outpatient care increased reliance on hospitals as safety nets; 3) hospital policy changes made staying in the hospital harder than usual; and, 4) care transitions out of the hospital were highly uncertain.
DISCUSSION
Hospitalized adults with SUD were further marginalized during the SARS-COV-2 pandemic. Systems must address the needs of marginalized patients in future disruptive events.
B Substances > CNS stimulants > Methamphetamine
B Substances > Opioids (opiates)
G Health and disease > Substance use disorder (addiction) > Alcohol use disorder > Alcohol dependence
G Health and disease > Disease by cause (Aetiology) > Communicable / infectious disease > Viral disease / infection > Coronavirus (COVID-19)
J Health care, prevention, harm reduction and treatment > Health care programme, service or facility > Hospital
T Demographic characteristics > Person who uses substances (user / experience)
VA Geographic area > United States
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