Opioid use disorder treatment disruptions during the early COVID-19 pandemic and other emergent disasters: a scoping review addressing dual public health emergencies

Informed approaches to addressing social determinants of health and patient needs are required for greater accountability to PWOUD early during emergent disasters. As a component of disaster preparedness, healthcare systems need to engage in planning for key patient populations such as PWOUD to ensure their care can be continued concurrent with the response to the disaster. Stakeholder contextualization of the literature to Alberta highlights gaps in multi-risk management, data and decision-making, and public health organizing to respond to heightened adversities for PWOUD early during the pandemic. Simultaneous attention to multiple crises, with adequate resources to allow attention for both social and health systems issues, can prepare a system to serve PWOUD during disasters.