Background: COVID-19 accelerated the adoption of remote working in which employers’ obligations for employees’ health and well-being extended into the home. This paper reports on a systematic review of the health impacts of remote working within the context of COVID-19 and discusses the implications of these impacts for the future role of the occupational health nurse. Method: The review protocol was registered with PROSPERO (CRD42021258517) and followed the PRISMA guidelines. The review covered 2020-2021 to capture empirical studies of remote working during the COVID-19 pandemic, their physical and psychological impacts and mediating factors. Results: Eight hundred and thirty articles were identified. After applying the inclusion criteria, a total of 34 studies were reviewed. Most studies showed low to very low strength of evidence using the GRADE approach. A minority of studies had high strength of evidence. These focused on the reduced risk of infection and negative effects in terms of reduced physical activity, increased sedentary activity, and increased screen time. Conclusion/Application to Practice: The synergy of work and personal well-being with the accelerated expansion of remote working suggests a more active role in the lives of workers within the home setting on the part of occupational health nurses. That role relates to how employees organize their relationship to work and home life, promoting positive lifestyles while mitigating adverse impacts of remote working on personal well-being.

Sexualized injecting drug use (“SIDU”) is a phenomenon associated with a wide array of high-risk injecting and sex-related practices. This scoping review establishes what is known about MSM and SIDU to assess implications for health care and policy. Characteristics of MSM for “SIDU” may include being on anti-retroviral treatment and urban residency with drivers being challenging social taboos; a search for intimacy; convenience of administration; relationship breakdown and increased restrictions in clubs and saunas. Attraction for use appears to be enhancement or prolongation of sexual experiences/pleasure; intimacy and the facilitation of a range of potentially “unsafe” sexual activity. Traditional services are ill-equipped to address “SIDU” because of a lack of knowledge of practices, lack of associated vocabulary, and a failure to integrate sexual health with drug services. For effective responses, these issues need to be addressed.

Alcohol use is a major risk factor for infectious disease and reduction of harms associated with alcohol consumption are essential during times of humanitarian crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. As a network of early career professionals working in the area of addiction medicine, we provide our views with regards to national actions related to reducing alcohol-related harm and providing care for people with alcohol use disorder during COVID-19. We believe that COVID-19 related measures have affected alcohol consumption in the majority of countries represented in this commentary. Examples of these changes include changes in alcohol consumption patterns, increases in cases of alcohol withdrawal syndrome, disruptions in access to medical care for alcohol use disorder and increases in illegal production of alcohol. Our members urge that treatment for acute and severe conditions due to substance use should be considered as essential services in times of humanitarian crises like COVID-19.

Stress during the pandemic has had an impact on the mental health of healthcare professionals (HCPs). However, little is known about coping and “maladaptive” coping behaviours of this population. This study investigates “maladaptive” coping behaviours and their correlation with stress, anxiety and insomnia of Italian HCPs during the pandemic. It reports on a cross-sectional, descriptive and correlational study based on a survey of 1955 Italian HCPs. Overall participants reported increases in cigarette smoking, time spent online and video playing. Overall reported alcohol consumption decreased but increased in those reporting drinking more than once a week. Those reporting starting smoking during the pandemic were found to have higher SAS and PSS scores. Those reporting being online for 3 or more hours were found to have higher ISS scores. Doctors who reported playing video games were found to have higher PSS, ISS and SAS scores whilst nurses who reported playing video games were found to have higher ISS scores. Doctors who reported playing for longer than one hour had higher PSS scores. Online behaviours may be a coping behaviour of HCPs affected by the pandemic. However, this is an underexplored area for the wellbeing of HCPs. These deficits need to be addressed going forward.

The EU promotes 'Open Science' as a public good. Complementary to its implementation is Citizen Science, which redefines the relationship between the scientific community, civic society and the individual. Open Science and Citizen Science poses challenges for the substance use and addictions research community but may provide positive opportunities for future European addiction research. This paper explores both current barriers and potential facilitators for the implementation of Open Science and Citizen Science in substance use and addictions research. A scoping review was used to examine barriers and facilitators identified in the substance use and addiction research literature for the adoption of Open Science and Citizen Science. 'Technical' facilitators included the pre-registration of study protocols; publication of open-source datasets; open peer review and online tools. 'Motivational' facilitators included enhanced reputation; embracing co-creation; engaged citizenship and gamification. 'Economic' facilitators included the use of free tools and balanced remuneration of crowdworkers. 'Political' facilitators included better informed debates through the 'triple helix' approach and trust-generating transparency. 'Legal' facilitators included epidemiologically informed law enforcement; better policy surveillance and the validation of other datasets. 'Ethical' facilitators included the 'democratisation of science' and opportunities to explore new concepts of ethics in addiction research. Open Science and Citizen Science in substance use and addictions research may provide a range of benefits in relation to the democratisation of science; transparency; efficiency and the reliability/validity of data. However, its implementation raises a range of research integrity and ethical issues that need be considered. These include issues related to participant recruitment; privacy; confidentiality; security; cost and industry involvement. Progressive journal policies to support Open Science practices; a shift in researcher norms; the use of free tools and the greater availability of methodological and ethical standards are likely to increase adoption in the field.

Background: Smoking is endemic amongst people accessing homeless services, and they are disproportionately affected by smoking-related diseases. This paper reports on the results of a 3-month small scale intervention which explored the efficacy, challenges and opportunities of using electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) to support cessation of tobacco smoking with people accessing an Irish supported temporary accommodation (STA) homeless service. It considers the results of this intervention with reference to the balance of harms between the use of vaping to support smoking cessation and continued smoking. Methods: Twenty-three participants were recruited. Demographic data, carbon monoxide (CO) measurements, homelessness status and smoking history were recorded. Participants were given an ENDS device and two 10-ml bottles containing e-liquid available in several flavours and at several strengths. Participants could pick up new bottles on a weekly basis. At weeks 1, 4, 8 and 12, the Fagerström Test and Mood and Physical Symptoms Scale (MPSS) were administered. Results: Over 75% of the residents in the participating hostel were recruited (23/30). However, there was a substantial loss to follow-up (n = 14) as a result of data protection issues, the transient nature of the population of interest and non-compliance with the intervention. Self-reported reductions in cigarette consumption were found to be statistically significant (p < 0.001). However, reductions in carbon monoxide measurements were not statistically significant. Decreases in Fagerström Nicotine Dependence Test were statistically significant (p = 0.001), but decreases in MPSS “urge to smoke” and “strength of urges” composite scores were not. Reported side effects included coughing, runny nose, bleeding nose, slight sweating, dizziness, increased phlegm and a burning sensation at the back of the throat. Barriers to engagement were peer norms, vaping restrictions in accommodation and adverse life events. Positive effects reported included increased energy, less coughing, better breathing and financial benefits. An improvement in the domain “poor concentration” was also found to be statistically significant (p = 0.040). Conclusion: ENDS-based interventions may be effective with this population. Future research should aim to improve follow-up, consider including behavioural components and monitor health effects in relation to ongoing concerns around risks and the balance of harms. Trial registration: Registered retrospectively ISRCTN14767579