TY - JOUR
T1 - Impact of COVID-19 on substance use disorder treatment services in Kenya
T2 - Qualitative findings from healthcare providers
AU - Muller, Abbe
AU - Akiyama, Matthew J.
AU - Riback, Lindsey
AU - Nyakowa, Mercy
AU - Musyoki, Helgar
AU - Cherutich, Peter
AU - Kurth, Ann
N1 - Funding Information:
The project described was supported by Grant Numbers R01DA032080, R01DA032080-05S1, K99/R00DA043011, and DP2DA053730 from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and Gilead Grants IN-US-337-4656. Additional funding was received from Jonas Scholar Foundation, YCCI Multidisciplinary training program, and T32 HRSA Primary Care Academic Fellowship Program at Boston Medical Center. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institute on Drug Abuse or the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Publisher Copyright:
© 2022
PY - 2022/7
Y1 - 2022/7
N2 - Background: People who inject drugs are at an increased risk for contracting SARS-CoV-2 and have experienced barriers to accessing harm reduction services during the COVID-19 pandemic. Understanding how to best provide these services is essential for COVID-19 mitigation. The goal of this study was to ascertain challenges and successes for caring for people who inject drugs in Kenya during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: We conducted focus group discussions and one-on-one key informant interviews with healthcare providers who work with people who inject drugs in Kenya. Interviews explored how COVID-19 and social distancing measures impacted service provision, as well as what strategies were used to overcome these barriers. We used thematic analysis to analyze transcribed interviews. Results: Participants included 29 service providers from 11 healthcare professions at three medication assisted treatment (MAT) and four drop-in center (DIC) sites (N=15 males and N=14 females, with an average age of 35 years). Four overarching themes emerged in our thematic analysis in which providers described both barriers to providing care and solutions to overcome them: (1) COVID-19-related misconceptions; (2) Limited COVID-19 testing and screening; (3) Structural changes related to service provision; and (4) Access to material resources such as meals, needle and syringe program kits, and personal protective equipment. Conclusions: Our findings demonstrate the COVID-19 pandemic-imposed challenges for substance use disorder treatment providers and patients, however with ingenuity many of these challenges were able to be overcome.
AB - Background: People who inject drugs are at an increased risk for contracting SARS-CoV-2 and have experienced barriers to accessing harm reduction services during the COVID-19 pandemic. Understanding how to best provide these services is essential for COVID-19 mitigation. The goal of this study was to ascertain challenges and successes for caring for people who inject drugs in Kenya during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: We conducted focus group discussions and one-on-one key informant interviews with healthcare providers who work with people who inject drugs in Kenya. Interviews explored how COVID-19 and social distancing measures impacted service provision, as well as what strategies were used to overcome these barriers. We used thematic analysis to analyze transcribed interviews. Results: Participants included 29 service providers from 11 healthcare professions at three medication assisted treatment (MAT) and four drop-in center (DIC) sites (N=15 males and N=14 females, with an average age of 35 years). Four overarching themes emerged in our thematic analysis in which providers described both barriers to providing care and solutions to overcome them: (1) COVID-19-related misconceptions; (2) Limited COVID-19 testing and screening; (3) Structural changes related to service provision; and (4) Access to material resources such as meals, needle and syringe program kits, and personal protective equipment. Conclusions: Our findings demonstrate the COVID-19 pandemic-imposed challenges for substance use disorder treatment providers and patients, however with ingenuity many of these challenges were able to be overcome.
KW - COVID-19
KW - Injection drug use
KW - LMIC
KW - People who inject drugs
KW - Policy
KW - Substance use disorder services
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U2 - 10.1016/j.drugpo.2022.103710
DO - 10.1016/j.drugpo.2022.103710
M3 - Article
C2 - 35580533
AN - SCOPUS:85130371863
SN - 0955-3959
VL - 105
JO - International Journal of Drug Policy
JF - International Journal of Drug Policy
M1 - 103710
ER -
