Journal of the American College of Emergency Physicians open
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J Am Coll Emerg Physicians Open · Apr 2021
COVID-19: A new barrier to treatment for opioid use disorder in the emergency department.
Start Treatment and Recover (STAR) is an emergency department (ED) program that expands access to medication for opioid use disorder by identifying patients with opioid use disorder and offering ED-initiated buprenorphine/naloxone and rapid access to outpatient treatment. We sought to determine the impacts of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic on STAR and the patients with opioid use disorder it serves. ⋯ Although overall ED visits declined during the pandemic period, the percentage of patients presenting with opioid use disorder or overdose remained constant, yet there was a dramatic decline in enrollment in ED-initiated medication for opioid use disorder and an increase in statewide monthly opioid-related fatalities. Strategies to maintain medication for opioid use disorder treatment options must be implemented for this vulnerable population during the ongoing pandemic.