Professionals’ Views on Challenges in Inpatient Substance Abuse Treatment during COVID-19 Pandemic in Finland

Eeva Ekqvist, Tuija Karsimus, Arja Ruisniemi and Katja Kuusisto
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Eeva Ekqvist: Faculty of Social Sciences, Tampere University, 33100 Tampere, Finland
Tuija Karsimus: Faculty of Social Sciences, Tampere University, 33100 Tampere, Finland
Arja Ruisniemi: Faculty of Social Sciences, Tampere University, 33100 Tampere, Finland
Katja Kuusisto: Faculty of Social Sciences, Tampere University, 33100 Tampere, Finland

Challenges, 2022, vol. 13, issue 1, 1-13

Abstract: The pandemic caused by COVID-19 (an acute respiratory illness caused by a coronavirus) has had harmful effects on people in need of special support. People with problematic substance use are recognized as such a group. The pandemic has raised the need for sufficient treatment and services during these unpredictable conditions. At the same time, it poses severe challenges to their production and provision. The purpose of the study was to use content analysis to qualitatively examine Finnish professionals’ ( N = 22) views on (1) the challenges posed by COVID-19 in working in inpatient substance abuse treatment, (2) how these challenges have been addressed, and (3) what the consequences of the challenges and the solutions to them are. The findings confirmed that COVID-19 has caused drastic changes in the organization of treatment and daily practices. Professionals experience challenges in preventing infection from spreading into and within treatment units. They also describe difficulties in applying social distancing in treatment that is based on therapeutic communities. The pandemic has also challenged communication and co-worker support among professionals. These challenges have led to practical solutions that, in turn, have their own consequences for treatment practices. We conclude that the quality of treatment has to some extent been impaired because of the pandemic.

Keywords: COVID-19; inpatient; substance abuse; treatment; professional; Finland (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A00 C00 Z00 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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