A real-world ten-week follow-up of the COVID outbreak in an outpatient drug clinic in Salamanca (Spain).
J Subst Abuse Treat
; 125: 108303, 2021 06.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1078047
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE:
To compare over ten weeks the number of relapses, hospital admissions, calls made, admissions to therapeutic communities, face-to-face visits, treatment adjustment, number of injectables administered, and number of emergencies attended due to emotional and behavioral alterations and/or substance use disorder, and to describe and quantify social emergencies in an outpatient drug clinic (ODC) in Salamanca (Spain) from March 16, 2020, to May 22, 2020.METHODS:
This is an ecological study of the COVID pandemic over ten weeks. The study examines the set of alcohol or other drug-dependent or dual disorder patients in the population of Salamanca, Spain. The measurements were professionals; calls made; percentage of successful calls; face-to-face visits; first visits made; reviews made; techniques; injectable treatments; other treatments; evolution; relapses. The ODC includes about 375 new patients each year and another 650 other patients annually.RESULTS:
The study found the number of relapses to be greater in the last five weeks of the 10-week study period. Patients' psychopathological instability also increased, and face-to-face visits were necessary. The most frequent psychopathology that required face-to-face intervention was depressive disorder. The number of interventions with patients increased. In parallel, social workers' efforts were greater after the seventh week. There was a decrease in response to calls. Throughout this time, the ODC attended to patients who needed to be treated for the first time.CONCLUSIONS:
Confinement due to the coronavirus pandemic generated maladaptive emotional responses and other behaviors, such as excessive alcohol consumption. The number of face-to-face consultations, admissions, and referrals to therapeutic communities increased. Patients under stress and in social isolation resorted more often to substance use. The ODC had to adopt a flexible approach to evaluate patients with more serious problems, by using face-to-face assessments.Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Outpatients
/
Disease Outbreaks
/
Substance Abuse Treatment Centers
/
Substance-Related Disorders
/
COVID-19
Type of study:
Cohort study
/
Experimental Studies
/
Observational study
/
Prognostic study
Limits:
Humans
Country/Region as subject:
Europa
Language:
English
Journal:
J Subst Abuse Treat
Journal subject:
Substance-Related Disorders
Year:
2021
Document Type:
Article
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