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Mapping historical and ongoing spatial inequities in access to medications for opioid use disorder
Topics: Health and Medical
, Spatial Analysis & Modeling
, United States
Keywords: medications for opioid use disorder, spatial access, spatial inequities, open source Session Type: Virtual Paper Abstract Day: Monday Session Start / End Time: 2/28/2022 09:40 AM (Eastern Time (US & Canada)) - 2/28/2022 11:00 AM (Eastern Time (US & Canada)) Room: Virtual 37
Authors:
Qinyun Lin, University of Chicago
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Abstract
Amid the ongoing opioid epidemic in the United States, access to medications (methadone, buprenorphine, and naltrexone) is increasingly critical to reduce the ill effects associated with opioid use. Thus, identifying access to medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) over time enables researchers to better understand how shifting access to these medications may impact opioid-related fatalities and adverse health outcomes, such as rates of endocarditis, hepatitis B and C, and HIV among people with opioid use disorder. Using historical data (National Directory of Drug and Alcohol Abuse Treatment surveys from Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration [SAMHSA]) and spatial analysis, we map geographic access to MOUD over the last 40 years (i.e., 1980-2019). This study highlights historical and ongoing changes in access to these medications and visualizes spatial inequities across the continental United States in terms of access to MOUD. Furthermore, we highlight the application of open source packages in generating these access metrics and the corresponding data products as publicly available to other researchers.
Mapping historical and ongoing spatial inequities in access to medications for opioid use disorder