Research to Delve into the Impact of COVID-19 on the Opioid Epidemic Hits the Research Agenda

A new study, supported by a $3.5 million grant from the National Institutes of Health, is shedding light on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the nation's opioid epidemic. The project, part of the Social, Behavioral, and Economic Research on COVID Consortium, is co-led by Elaine Hill, Ph.D., from the University of Rochester, and Meredith Adams, M.D., from Wake Forest University School of Medicine.

The study utilises massive sets of federal and state health care claims data, representing nearly half of the U.S. population. The data will be combined longitudinally across different stages of the pandemic, providing a comprehensive understanding of the evolving situation.

The COVID-19 pandemic led to a significant increase in opioid-related deaths, with a 28 percent jump in the first year of the pandemic. The study aims to determine whether the progress made in addressing the opioid epidemic in recent years can be recovered.

Health care infrastructure was reallocated to provide COVID care, potentially worsening the opioid epidemic in vulnerable communities. The initiative pays close attention to how subsequent economic disruption affects health-related outcomes, including opioid use and treatment.

The project also aims to assess the impact of COVID and associated mitigation efforts on various populations, with a focus on underserved and vulnerable communities. The COVID pandemic disrupted social and economic life, leading to measures that affected the opioid epidemic.

The study will combine the data with state- and county-level mitigation policies and information about the realignment of addiction treatment resources. This approach will allow researchers to examine the impact of the pandemic on opioid use disorder in different communities.

According to Elaine Hill's prior research, the actual number of opioid deaths during the COVID pandemic may be higher than reported figures. The study seeks to investigate how these factors impacted the care received by individuals with opioid use disorders.

The initiative involves researchers from the University of Rochester, Wake Forest University, and Indiana University. The project aims to provide valuable insights that can inform policies and interventions to address the ongoing opioid epidemic in the United States.

Research to Delve into the Impact of COVID-19 on the Opioid Epidemic Hits the Research Agenda