TY - JOUR
KW - Analgesics, Opioid/therapeutic use
KW - COVID-19/epidemiology
KW - Humans
KW - Mental Health Services/organization & administration
KW - opioid epidemic
KW - Opioid-Related Disorders/epidemiology/therapy
KW - Pain/drug therapy
KW - Pandemics
KW - Professional Role
KW - SARS-CoV-2
KW - Social Work/organization & administration
KW - Telemedicine/organization & administration
KW - United States
KW - COVD-19
KW - Opioid
KW - social worker roles and functions
KW - Substance use disorder
KW - telehealth care
AU - S. H. Kim
AU - O. Tesmer
A1 - 
AB - As the COVID-19 global pandemic continues, more than 40 states have reported increases in opioid-related mortality. The issue of service access and delivery poses a major concern for those struggling with mental illness and substance use disorders in the United States. To ensure the continuity of health care during the pandemic and the co-occurring opioid crisis, the United States continues to adapt its healthcare delivery strategies, which include the introduction of telehealth. Telehealth is a relatively new concept and requires rapid systems changes as well as adjustments from both service providers and recipients. The proper adaptation to the new service delivery method could result in process optimization and improved outcomes for those struggling with opioid dependency. This study aims to bring attention to the opioid crisis that may be overlooked in light of the global pandemic and encourage social workers and other mental health professionals to utilize modern technological advancements to improve service delivery to their clients. This paper offers a literature review with four themes: (1) a retrospect on pain and opioids, (2) current telehealth models and practical strategies, (3) social work roles and functions in telehealth care, and (4) next steps and implications of telehealth for social work as a much-needed health-care delivery tool at the clinical and community social work practice level.
AD - School of Social Work, College of Health and Human Services, Northern Kentucky University, Highland Heights, Kentucky, USA.; School of Social Work, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida, USA.
BT - Social work in health care
C5 - Education & Workforce; HIT & Telehealth; Opioids & Substance Use
CP - 6-7
CY - United States
DO - 10.1080/00981389.2021.1953207
IS - 6-7
JF - Social work in health care
LA - eng
M1 - Journal Article
N2 - As the COVID-19 global pandemic continues, more than 40 states have reported increases in opioid-related mortality. The issue of service access and delivery poses a major concern for those struggling with mental illness and substance use disorders in the United States. To ensure the continuity of health care during the pandemic and the co-occurring opioid crisis, the United States continues to adapt its healthcare delivery strategies, which include the introduction of telehealth. Telehealth is a relatively new concept and requires rapid systems changes as well as adjustments from both service providers and recipients. The proper adaptation to the new service delivery method could result in process optimization and improved outcomes for those struggling with opioid dependency. This study aims to bring attention to the opioid crisis that may be overlooked in light of the global pandemic and encourage social workers and other mental health professionals to utilize modern technological advancements to improve service delivery to their clients. This paper offers a literature review with four themes: (1) a retrospect on pain and opioids, (2) current telehealth models and practical strategies, (3) social work roles and functions in telehealth care, and (4) next steps and implications of telehealth for social work as a much-needed health-care delivery tool at the clinical and community social work practice level.
PP - United States
PY - 2021
SN - 1541-034X; 0098-1389
SP - 499
EP - 508
EP - 
T1 - Employing telehealth strategies for opioid addiction during COVID-19: implications for social work health care
T2 - Social work in health care
TI - Employing telehealth strategies for opioid addiction during COVID-19: implications for social work health care
U1 - Education & Workforce; HIT & Telehealth; Opioids & Substance Use
U2 - 34278979
U3 - 10.1080/00981389.2021.1953207
VL - 60
VO - 1541-034X; 0098-1389
Y1 - 2021
Y2 - Aug 9
ER -