@article{ref1,
title="Evidence of increased Fentanyl use during the COVID-19 pandemic among opioid agonist treatment patients in Ontario, Canada",
journal="International journal on drug policy",
year="2020",
author="Morin, Kristen A. and Acharya, Shreedhar and Eibl, Joseph K. and Marsh, David C.",
volume="90",
number="",
pages="e103088-e103088",
abstract="BACKGROUND: Amid the opioid crisis, the health care system is restructuring to prevent and treat COVID-19. Individuals in opioid agonist treatment (OAT) are  uniquely challenged because of disruption to treatment, medication diversion, and  isolation during the pandemic. <br><br>METHODS: Between January and September 2020, we  utilized the electronic medical record from a chain of 67 opioid agonist treatment  clinics in Ontario, Canada, to examine routinely collected urine drug screen results  of patients in opioid agonist treatment by Public Health Units. <br><br>RESULTS: We present  evidence of a 108% increase in the percentage of fentanyl positive urine drug  screens from April to September (p< 0.001). During the same period, health regions  in northern and southwestern Ontario, areas with a high concentration of rural  communities, have seen the most notable increase in the percent of fentanyl positive  urine drug screen results. <br><br>CONCLUSION: The use of fentanyl increased by 108% among  OAT patients in Ontario during the COVID 19 pandemic. We argue that the persistent  increase of fentanyl exposure over time, specifically in the OAT population,  suggests that reduced monitoring may decrease OAT's effectiveness and negatively  impact patient outcomes.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0955-3959",
doi="10.1016/j.drugpo.2020.103088",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.drugpo.2020.103088"
}