ABSTRACT
Introduction
This research aimed to describe trends in the use of telemedicine and take-home medication, as well as restrictions in service provision among Medication-Assisted Treatment and inpatient services. We surveyed trendsduring the first 18 months of the COVID-19 pandemic (March 2020-August 2021) in Israel.
Methods
We sent a mail-based survey to 13 Medication-Assisted Treatment and 11 inpatient centers under state supervision. We also collected data on COVID-19 cases and quarantines from routine reports.
Results
While quarantines in Medication-Assisted Treatment centers increased in each successive COVID-19 wave, those in inpatient centers declined by 63% from December to April 2021. Restriction of services, use of telemedicine, and take-home schemes decreased between 2020 and 2021. Inpatient services were significantly disrupted during 2020, and ten centers (91%) reported limiting patient admissions.
Conclusions
Although most centers in 2020 adopted telemedicine and take-home schemes, less than half of centers continued employing them in 2021, suggesting provider, and patient preference for pre-pandemic models of care.
Acknowledgments
We wish to thank Adv. Eyal Hacco for proofreading of this manuscript.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).