Social Work and the Emerging Opioid Epidemic: A Literature Review Micheal L. Shier 1, *, John R. Graham 2 and Jennifer M. Keogh 2 1 Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 1V4, Canada 2 School of Social Work, University of British Columbia (Okanagan), Kelowna, British Columbia, V1V 1V7, Canada *Correspondence to Micheal L. Shier, Assistant Professor, Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto, 246 Bloor Street W., Toronto, Ontario, M5S 1V4, Canada. E-mail: m.shier@utoronto.ca Abstract This study uses the search terms ‘opiate*’, ‘opioid*’ and ‘fentanyl’ to analyse social work peer-reviewed literature (n ¼ 573) between 1978 and 2017. There is an increas- ing focus on opioid use within literature during the forty-year period—a knowledge base predominantly outside discipline-specific social work journals—and a high preva- lence of research from the USA and the UK. The thematic analysis finds a focus on identifying behaviours and risks associated with opioid use, assessment of opioid use and needs of service users in treatment, and intervention and relapse-prevention prac- tices. There are many sound practice-relevant insights. However, the literature is lim- ited in its ability to assess the needs of individuals not in treatment along with documenting preventative methods for opioid-related overdose. This is a significant omission, warranting further research, given the unknowing nature of opioid use as- sociated with increasing rates of overdose throughout the world. Keywords: Opioids, fentanyl, epidemic, addiction, social work, overdose Accepted: December 2018 Introduction The amount of research on opioids and their use has proliferated in the last decade. The use of opioids (which are generally prescribed for pain relief) has increased considerably in North America, Europe and www.basw.co.uk # The Author(s) 2019. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The British Association of Social Workers. All rights reserved. British Journal of Social Work (2019) 49, 1759–1777 doi: 10.1093/bjsw/bcy127 Advance Access Publication January 10, 2019 Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/bjsw/article-abstract/49/7/1759/5288147 by guest on 24 October 2019