Physicians call for standard-of-care treatment for opioid use disorder among incarcerated patients. Every other approach would “violate medical ethics”.
For patients with opioid use disorder, medications such as buprenorphine and methadone are considered as standard of care treatments, as they alleviate withdrawal symptoms, reduce cravings and pain, decrease infections, and lower the risk of mortality. However, the use of these medications is often restricted in U. S. prisons and jails, with only a few states mandating their use in the carceral system.
The viewpoint article by Anna-Maria South, M. D., Laura Fanucchi, M. D., and Michelle Lofwall, M. D., published in JAMA highlights the barriers to initiating medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) among people who are incarcerated. The article draws attention to the significant moral distress experienced by doctors when incarcerated patients need to be hospitalized due to serious medical complications resulting from untreated opioid use disorder, but they are unable to provide them with the best treatment.
The article also highlights the fact that denying patients standard-of-care treatments because they are incarcerated violates medical ethics, constitutional amendments and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and emphasizes the need for physician advocacy.
“Incarcerated people with opioid use disorder are among the most vulnerable patient populations that also have the least ability to advocate for themselves,” said South, an assistant professor in UK College of Medicine’s Division of Hospital Medicine and an attending physician on the Addiction Consult and Education Services. “We as physicians have a powerful voice for advocacy to make substantial change. We need to educate ourselves on the rights that our patients have and where we can go to advocate for them.”
This article is based on a press release by the University of Kentucky. You can find the original publication here and by following the link in our text.
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