IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v19y2022i15p9283-d875143.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Changes in Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Opioid-Related Outcomes in Urban Areas during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Rapid Review of the Literature

Author

Listed:
  • Kara M. Moran

    (College of Nursing and Health Professions, Drexel University, 1601 Cherry Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102, USA
    These authors contributed equally to this work.)

  • Pricila H. Mullachery

    (Urban Health Collaborative, Dornsife School of Public Health, Drexel University, 3600 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
    These authors contributed equally to this work.
    Current affiliation: Department of Health Services Administration and Policy, Temple University College of Public Health, 1301 Cecil B. Moore Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19122, USA.)

  • Stephen Lankenau

    (Department of Community Health and Prevention, Dornsife School of Public Health, Drexel University, 3215 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA)

  • Usama Bilal

    (Urban Health Collaborative, Dornsife School of Public Health, Drexel University, 3600 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
    Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Dornsife School of Public Health, Drexel University, 3215 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA)

Abstract

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.

Suggested Citation

  • Kara M. Moran & Pricila H. Mullachery & Stephen Lankenau & Usama Bilal, 2022. "Changes in Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Opioid-Related Outcomes in Urban Areas during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Rapid Review of the Literature," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(15), pages 1-12, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:15:p:9283-:d:875143
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/15/9283/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/15/9283/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:15:p:9283-:d:875143. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.