Exploring help-seeking pathways and disparities in substance use disorder care in India: A multicenter cross-sectional study.

ABSTRACT:

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

SUBMITTER: Ghosh A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11293777 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature