Background: Substance use disorders (SUDs) are among the leading causes of morbidity in the population. In low- and medium-income countries like India, there is a wide treatment gap for SUD. A multicentric study on the care pathways for SUD in India can help to understand service provision, service utilization, and challenges to improve existing SUD care in India.

Aim: We aimed to map pathways to care in SUD. We compared the clinical and demographic characteristics of patients who first consulted specialized services versus other medical services.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of consecutive, consenting adults (18-65 years) with SUD registered to each of the nine participating addiction treatment services distributed across five Indian regions. We adapted the World Health Organization's pathway encounter form.

Results: Of the 998 participants, 98% were males, 49.4% were rural, and 20% were indigenous population. Addiction services dominated initial (50%) and subsequent (60%) healthcare contacts. One in five contacted private for-profit healthcare. Primary care contact was rare (5/998). Diverse approaches included traditional healers (4-6%) and self-medication (2-8%). There was a 3-year delay in first contact; younger, educated individuals with opioid dependence preferred specialized services.

Conclusion: There is a need to strengthen public healthcare infrastructure and delivery systems and integrate SUD treatment into public healthcare.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11293777PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.4103/indianjpsychiatry.indianjpsychiatry_123_24DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

cross-sectional study
8
public healthcare
8
sud
6
care
5
exploring help-seeking
4
help-seeking pathways
4
pathways disparities
4
disparities substance
4
substance disorder
4
disorder care
4

Similar Publications

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!