Dear HIFA colleagues,
We turn to question 7 in our background document https://www.hifa.org/sites/default/files/articles/Opioids-10Qs.pdf
7. What interventions are available in your country when addressing opioid use disorders? What are the barriers to their implementation?
Our background document reads as follows (see also my comments below):
The response to opioid use disorder requires a comprehensive approach. We invite you to consider:
Available interventions:
• Pharmacological treatments (methadone, buprenorphine, naloxone)
Psychosocial interventions
• Harm reduction strategies
Barriers:
• Limited access to services
• Regulatory restrictions
• Lack of training
• Institutional stigma
In addition:
What strategies are being implemented to improve adherence and prevent relapses?
• Supply reduction: eg. Prescription monitoring and control systems, Regulation of opioid manufacturing and distribution, etc.;
• Demand reduction: Better public awareness, Training for healthcare providers, etc;
• Harm reduction: Access to naloxone, Supervised consumption sites,
Decriminalization, Integrated mental health and social support
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COMMENT (NPW):
A 2023 paper fro the US found that only 1 in 5 U.S. adults with opioid use disorder received medications to treat it in 2021
https://nida.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/2023/08/only-1-in-5-us-ad...
The World Health Organization states: 'There are effective treatment interventions for opioid dependence that can decrease the risk of overdose, yet less than 10% of people who need such treatment are receiving it.' https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/opioid-overdose
WHO also notes: 'The medication naloxone can prevent death from an opioid overdose if administered in time.'
WHO provides figures for naloxone availability in different countries:
https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/indicators/indicator-details/GHO/avail...
The data are interesting. For example we learn that naloxone is widely available in 2014 in Afghanistan whereas UK is marked as 'Not available'. I'm not sure of these data as I understand naloxone is widely available in the UK. Many countries are marked as unknown.
I look forward to your comments on the availability of different interventions in your country.
Many thanks, Neil
HIFA profile: Neil Pakenham-Walsh is coordinator of HIFA (Healthcare Information For All), a global health community that brings all stakeholders together around the shared goal of universal access to reliable healthcare information. HIFA has 20,000 members in 180 countries, interacting in four languages and representing all parts of the global evidence ecosystem. HIFA is administered by Global Healthcare Information Network, a UK-based nonprofit in official relations with the World Health Organization. Email: neil@hifa.org