https://doi.org/10.4081/qrmh.2020.9175
An ethnographic study of opioid use disorder in rural Maine: The problem of pain
Submitted: 12 June 2020
Accepted: 8 December 2020
Published: 25 February 2021
Accepted: 8 December 2020
Abstract Views: 1494
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All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.
Authors
This qualitative study was conducted to more fully understand health care providers and community leaders’ perceptions of the opioid crisis in rural Maine. In 2017, Maine continued to have one of the highest opioid overdose death rates in the country, more than double the national average. I (first author) visited eight treatment centers in Maine providing support and treatment to people recovering form Opioid Use Disorder (OUD), shadowing health care providers. I also attended OUD-related meetings held with community leaders. I conducted a total of 33 semi-structured interviews with health care providers, community leaders, and NGOs in the state of Maine. Three themes emerged integrating observations with semi-structured interviews: i) Impact of emergence of new extended release opioids, their prescription patterns, and culture around them; ii) Subjectivity of pain and importance of understanding psychic injury in OUD treatment; iii) Socio-political context and perception of OUD in Maine. Our society’s perception of pain has deep historical and cultural sources that influence the way that pain has been perceived and treated in the medical setting. Resources beyond the medical environment are needed to address pain adequately.
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How to Cite
Grabowska, Weronika, Selma Holden, Peter M Wayne, and Karen Kilgore. 2021. “An Ethnographic Study of Opioid Use Disorder in Rural Maine: The Problem of Pain”. Qualitative Research in Medicine and Healthcare 4 (3). https://doi.org/10.4081/qrmh.2020.9175.
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