Opportunities for Research on the Treatment of Substance Use Disorders in the Context of COVID-19

Abstract

Requirements for minimizing physical contact to reduce transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 have led to shifts in treatment and research on psychiatric disorders, 1,2 including substance use disorders (SUDs). Notable have been increases in use of telehealth, changes to reimbursement for remote services, shifts in rules and regulations, impacts on vulnerable populations, and difficulties with data collection. These shifts provide an opportunity to evaluate which changes should remain after coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which should be reserved for crises, and which ones are deleterious.

Substance Use Disorders and Behavioral Addictions During the COVID-19 Pandemic and COVID-19-Related Restrictions

“…This article will address the various ways in which the past months' quarantine has impacted the mental health of many and led to detrimental behaviors including substance, gambling and food addictions. Although others have already written about the challenges (and opportunities) emerging from these interacting phenomena (14)(15)(16)(17), this article will add to this discussion and also address how access to treatment for mental health has changed in this new, more virtual world. The research for this publication was conducted using PubMed (Medline) and United States government resources.…”

Research on substance use disorders during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…COVID-19 has exacerbated a barrier to research that already exists—access to target populations and difficulty obtaining timely data to monitor changes in patterns of drug use and overdoses. Those data are necessary to inform the efficient and equitable allocation of health resources, to track shifts in drug markets, and to identify vulnerable groups ( Blanco, Compton, & Volkow, 2021 ). With the expansion of cell phones and virtual technologies, increased access to the web across populations, the proliferation of wearables that can monitor patients' activities without physical contact (e.g., sleep and heart rate variability), and the ability to mail biological specimens, research has been afforded the opportunity to scale up alternative means of data collection on substance use and associated behaviors.…”

“…However, because an ultimate goal of research is to improve patient outcomes and public health, these IRB decisions suggest the need to better align that goal with current research. These decisions reveal the need for improved collaboration between research and clinical practice, i.e., the development of learning health care systems and more broadly, greater focus on implementation ( Blanco, Compton, & Volkow, 2021 ; Blanco, Wiley, et al, 2020 ). Although the need for implementation research is not unique to the challenges of the pandemic, the disruptions that COVID-19 has caused have further highlighted the need to develop systematic knowledge on how to adapt and scale up services to new settings, situations, and populations without compromising quality and the application of research into practice.…”

La incógnita del coronavirus, la gestante, su niño – Continuación

“…COVID-19 ha ocasionado cambios societales amplios que no serán revertidos totalmente después de que la pandemia mejore. Algunos de estos cambios son el contacto físico menos frecuente, menos oportunidades para interacciones informales, incremento del teletrabajo y nuevas maneras de interactuar online (62) . Se recomendará a las mujeres sanas las consultas remotas y el automonitoreo de la presión arterial en mujeres sanas, siempre que sea posible, de manera de reducir el número de visitas hospitalarias.…”