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Who should be treated? The ethical challenges of administering opioid agonist treatment (OAT) for people who inject drugs during COVID-19

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Key facts

  • Disease

    COVID-19

  • Start & end year

    2021

  • Known Financial Commitments (USD)

    $244,623

  • Funder

    Greenwall Foundation

  • Principal Investigator

    Roberto Abadie

  • Research Location

    N/A

  • Lead Research Institution

    N/A

  • Research Priority Alignment

    N/A

  • Research Category

    Research to inform ethical issues

  • Research Subcategory

    Research to inform ethical issues in Clinical and Health System Decision-Making

  • Special Interest Tags

    N/A

  • Study Type

    Clinical

  • Clinical Trial Details

    Not applicable

  • Broad Policy Alignment

    Pending

  • Age Group

    Unspecified

  • Vulnerable Population

    Drug users

  • Occupations of Interest

    Health Personnel, Other

Abstract

This project addresses the ethical challenges of modifications in opioid agonist treatment (OAT) during the COVID-19 pandemic for people who inject drugs. While several public health ethics frameworks exist, due to the novelty of the pandemic and treatment needs of PWID, little is known regarding their applicability to OAT. Drawing on the lived experiences of patients, healthcare providers and health administrators in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Dr. Abadie and his team will seek to develop an evidence-based, population tailored ethical framework for the administration of OAT for current and future infectious disease crises.