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Barriers to using new needles encountered by rural Appalachian people who inject drugs: implications for needle exchange.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND:Using a new needle for every injection can reduce the spread of infectious disease among people who inject drugs (PWID). No previous study has examined new needle use barriers among PWIDs residing in the rural Appalachian part of the United States, an area currently in the midst of a heroin epidemic. OBJECTIVE:Therefore, our primary aim was to explore self-reported barriers to using a new needle by PWID attending a needle exchange program (NEP). METHODS:We conducted a cross-sectional survey of PWID attending two NEPs in rural West Virginia located in the heart of Central Appalachia. A convenience sample of PWID (n?=?100) completed the Barriers to Using New Needles Questionnaire. RESULTS:The median number of barriers reported was 5 (range 0-19). Fear of arrest by police (72% of PWID "agreed" or "strongly agreed") and difficulty with purchasing needles from a pharmacy (64% "agreed" or "strongly agreed") were the most frequently cited barriers. CONCLUSIONS/IMPORTANCE:Congruent with previous findings from urban locations, in rural West Virginia, the ability of PWID to use a new needle obtained from a needle exchange for every injection may be compromised by fear of arrest. In addition, pharmacy sales of new needles to PWID may be blunted by an absence of explicit laws mandating nonprescription sales. Future studies should explore interventions that align the public health goals of NEPs with the occupational safety of law enforcement and health outreach goals of pharmacists.

SUBMITTER: Davis SM

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6444507 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Barriers to using new needles encountered by rural Appalachian people who inject drugs: implications for needle exchange.

Davis Stephen M SM Kristjansson Alfgeir L AL Davidov Danielle D Zullig Keith K Baus Adam A Fisher Melanie M

Harm reduction journal 20190402 1

<h4>Background</h4>Using a new needle for every injection can reduce the spread of infectious disease among people who inject drugs (PWID). No previous study has examined new needle use barriers among PWIDs residing in the rural Appalachian part of the United States, an area currently in the midst of a heroin epidemic.<h4>Objective</h4>Therefore, our primary aim was to explore self-reported barriers to using a new needle by PWID attending a needle exchange program (NEP).<h4>Methods</h4>We conduc ...[more]

PMID: 30940136

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Project description:BackgroundNeedle and syringe programmes (NSP) are a critical component of harm reduction interventions among people who inject drugs (PWID). Our primary objective was to summarize the evidence on the effectiveness of NSP for PWID in reducing blood-borne infection transmission and injecting risk behaviours (IRB).MethodsWe conducted an overview of systematic reviews that included PWID (excluding prisons and consumption rooms), addressed community-based NSP, and provided estimates of the effect regarding incidence/prevalence of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), Hepatitis C virus (HCV), Hepatitis B virus (HBV) and bacteremia/sepsis, and/or measures of IRB. Systematic literature searches were undertaken on relevant databases, including EMBASE, MEDLINE, and PsychINFO (up to May 2015). For each review we identified relevant studies and extracted data on methods, and findings, including risk of bias and quality of evidence assessed by review authors. We evaluated the risk of bias of each systematic review using the ROBIS tool. We categorized reviews by reported outcomes and use of meta-analysis; no additional statistical analysis was performed.ResultsWe included thirteen systematic reviews with 133 relevant unique studies published between 1989 and 2012. Reported outcomes related to HIV (n = 9), HCV (n = 8) and IRB (n = 6). Methods used varied at all levels of design and conduct, with four reviews performing meta-analysis. Only two reviews were considered to have low risk of bias using the ROBIS tool, and most included studies were evaluated as having low methodological quality by review authors. We found that NSP was effective in reducing HIV transmission and IRB among PWID, while there were mixed results regarding a reduction of HCV infection. Full harm reduction interventions provided at structural level and in multi-component programmes, as well as high level of coverage, were more beneficial.ConclusionsThe heterogeneity and the overall low quality of evidence highlights the need for future community-level studies of adequate design to support these results.Trial registrationThe protocol of this systematic review was registered in Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO 2015: CRD42015026145 ).

Project description:BACKGROUND:Little is known regarding barriers to hepatitis C virus (HCV) treatment among people who inject drugs (PWID) in low-resource settings, particularly in the era of direct-acting antiviral therapies. METHODS:Between March, 2015-August, 2016, a cross-sectional survey was administered to community-based PWID in Chennai, India to examine the HCV care continuum and associated barriers. Adjusted prevalence ratios (APR) were estimated by multivariable Poisson regression with robust variance. RESULTS:All participants were male (n?=?541); 152 participants had HCV mono-infection and 61 participants had HIV/HCV co-infection. Only one HCV mono-infected and one HIV/HCV co-infected participant was linked to HCV care. Overall, there was moderate knowledge of HCV disease but poor knowledge of HCV treatment. Higher total knowledge scores were negatively associated with HIV/HCV co-infection (vs. HCV mono-infection), though this was not statistically significant in adjusted analysis (APR?=?0.71 [95%CI?=?0.47-1.06]). Participants ?45 years (APR?=?0.73 [95%CI?=?0.58-0.92]) and participants with HIV/HCV co-infection (APR?=?0.64 [95%CI?=?0.47-0.87]) were less willing to take weekly interferon injections for 12 weeks. Willingness to undergo HCV treatment improved with decreasing duration of therapy, higher perceived efficacy, and use of pills vs. interferon, though willingness to use interferon improved with decreasing duration of therapy. Most participants preferred daily visits to a clinic for HCV treatment versus receiving a month's supply. Participants ?45 years (vs. <45?years; APR?=?0.70 [95%CI?=?0.56-0.88]) and participants with HIV/HCV co-infection (APR?=?0.75 [95%CI?=?0.57-0.98]) were less likely to intend on seeking HCV care. Common reasons for not having already seen a provider for HCV treatment differed by HIV status, and included low perceived need for treatment (HCV-mono-infected), competing money/health priorities and costs/fears about treatment (HIV/HCV-co-infected). CONCLUSION:Residual gaps in HCV knowledge and continuing negative perceptions related to interferon-based therapy highlight the need to scale-up educational initiatives. Readiness for HCV treatment was particularly low among HIV/HCV co-infected and older PWID, emphasizing the importance of tailored treatment strategies.

Project description:Injection drug use is prevalent in northwestern Bangladesh. We sought to explore the context of needle/syringe sharing among persons who inject drugs (PWID), examining risk exposures to blood-borne infections like the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis in a region where these dual epidemics are likely to expand.We used a qualitative research approach to learn about injection practices, conducting 60 in-depth interviews among PWID. We then conducted 12 focus group discussions (FGDs) that generated a checklist of salient issues, and followed up with personal observations of typical days at the drug-use venues. Content and interpretative frameworks were used to analyze qualitative information and socio-demographic information, using SPSS software.We found that needle/syringe-sharing behaviours were integrated into the overall social and cultural lives of drug users. Sharing behaviours were an central component of PWID social organization. Sharing was perceived as an inherent element within reciprocal relationships, and sharing was tied to beliefs about drug effects, economic adversity, and harassment due to their drug user status. Carrying used needles/syringes to drug-use venues was deemed essential since user-unfriendly needle-syringe distribution schedules of harm reduction programmes made it difficult to access clean needles/syringes in off-hours. PWID had low self-esteem. Unequal power relationships were reported between the field workers of harm reduction programmes and PWID. Field workers expressed anti-PWID bias and judgmental attitudes, and also had had misconceptions about HIV and hepatitis transmission. PWID were especially disturbed that no assistance was forthcoming from risk reduction programme staff when drug users manifested withdrawal symptoms.Interventions must take social context into account when scaling up programmes in diverse settings. The social organization of PWID include values that foster needle-syringe sharing. Utilization and impact of risk reduction programmes might be improved with expanded clean needle/syringe distribution at times and venues convenient for PWID, better trained and non-judgmental staff, and medical assistance for health problems, including drug withdrawal symptoms.

Project description:BackgroundThe estimated 2.2 million people who inject drugs (PWID) in the USA experience significant gaps in preventive healthcare and a high burden of infectious, psychiatric, and other chronic diseases. Many PWID rely on emergency medical services, which are costly and not designed to deliver preventive services, manage chronic conditions, or address social needs.ObjectiveThe objective of this study was to explore barriers and facilitators to primary care utilization from the perspectives of PWID in New England, a region highly affected by the overdose crisis.DesignParticipants completed semi-structured qualitative interviews exploring substance use and healthcare utilization patterns.ParticipantsWe recruited 78 PWID through community-based organizations (e.g., syringe service programs) in 16 urban and non-urban communities throughout Massachusetts and Rhode Island.ApproachThematic analysis identified barriers and facilitators to primary care utilization at the individual, interpersonal, and systemic levels.Key resultsAmong 78 PWID, 48 described recent primary care experiences; 33 had positive experiences and 15 described negative experiences involving discrimination or mistrust. Individual-level barriers to primary care utilization included perceived lack of need and competing priorities (e.g., avoiding opioid withdrawal, securing shelter beds). Interpersonal-level barriers included stigma and perceived low quality of care for PWID. Systemic-level barriers included difficulty navigating healthcare systems, inadequate transportation, long wait times, and frequent provider turnover. Participants with positive primary care experiences explained how appointment reminders, flexible hours, addiction medicine-trained providers, case management services, and transportation support facilitated primary care utilization and satisfaction.ConclusionsFindings regarding the multilevel barriers and facilitators to accessing primary care among PWID identify potential targets for programmatic interventions to improve primary care utilization in this population. Based on these findings, we make recommendations for improving the engagement of PWID in primary care as a means to advance individual and public health outcomes.

Project description:BackgroundPeople who inject drugs (PWID) experience high incarceration rates, with current/recent incarceration being associated with increased hepatitis C virus (HCV) transmission. We assess the contribution of incarceration to HCV transmission amongst PWID in Perry County (PC), Kentucky, USA, and the impact of scaling-up community and in-prison opioid substitution therapy (OST), including the potential for reducing incarceration.MethodsA dynamic model of incarceration and HCV transmission amongst PWID was calibrated in a Bayesian framework to epidemiological and incarceration data from PC, incorporating an empirically estimated 2.8-fold (95%CI: 1.36-5.77) elevated HCV acquisition risk amongst currently incarcerated or recently released (<6 months) PWID compared to other PWID. We projected the percentage of new HCV infections that would be prevented among PWID over 2020-2030 if incarceration no longer elevated HCV transmission risk, if needle and syringe programmes (NSP) and OST are scaled-up, and/or if drug use was decriminalized (incarceration/reincarceration rates are halved) with 50% of PWID that would have been imprisoned being diverted onto OST. We assume OST reduces reincarceration by 10-42%.ResultsOver 2020-2030, removing the effect of incarceration on HCV transmission could prevent 42.7% (95% credibility interval: 15.0-67.4%) of new HCV infections amongst PWID. Conversely, scaling-up community OST and NSP to 50% coverage could prevent 28.5% (20.0-37.4%) of new infections, with this increasing to 32.7% (24.5-41.2%) if PWID are retained on OST upon incarceration, 36.4% (27.7-44.9%) if PWID initiate OST in prison, and 45.3% (35.9-54.1%) if PWID are retained on OST upon release. decriminalization (with diversion to OST) could further increase this impact, preventing 56.8% (45.3-64.5%) of new infections. The impact of these OST interventions decreases by 2.1-28.6% if OST does not reduce incarceration.ConclusionIncarceration is likely to be an important contributor to HCV transmission amongst PWID in PC. Prison-based OST could be an important intervention for reducing this risk.

Dataset Information

Barriers to using new needles encountered by rural Appalachian people who inject drugs: implications for needle exchange.

Publications

Barriers to using new needles encountered by rural Appalachian people who inject drugs: implications for needle exchange.

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