This will be achieved through a Delphi consensus study. The aim of this project is to identify priorities for quality improvements which will inform clinical decision making throughout and beyond the pandemic. It is therefore essential to examine the impacts, benefits and unintended consequences of the special measures introduced during COVID-19 at a national level, thus informing which measures can and should be sustained throughout and beyond COVID-19 to support effective, safe and patient-centered care promoting the health and wellbeing of all people with opioid dependence. The Programme for Government 2020 states they will retain many of the measures introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic to reduce waiting times in accessing treatment services and reduce overdose mortality. From March 2020, the Health Service Executive (HSE) National Social Inclusion Office introduced a series of national contingency guidelines, to ensure fast and uninterrupted access to OAT while balancing efforts to mitigate COVID-19 risks. Following the emergence of COVID-19, policies were rapidly changed in Ireland to reduce the risk of contracting the virus for both clients and treatment providers.

Opioid agonist treatment (OAT) is the most effective treatment for opioid dependence, although it relies heavily on regular face-to-face healthcare delivery.

Delphi 2 dublin