Factors associated with obtaining prescribed safer supply among people accessing harm reduction services: findings from a cross-sectional survey

Table 3 Health service and demographic characteristics by prescribed safer supply medication receipt

	Total N = 491 N (%)	Did not receive PSS N = 410 (83.5%) N (%)	Received PSS N = 81 (16.5%) N (%)	Chi-square p value
Demographics
Age
< 30 years	63 (12.8)	44 (19.7)	19 (23.5)	0.003
30–39 years	128 (26.1)	107 (26.1)	21 (25.9)
40–49 years	127 (25.9)	102 (24.9)	25 (30.9)
≥ 50 years	158 (32.2)	144 (35.1)	14 (17.3)
Unknown	15 (3.1)	13 (3.2)	2 (2.5)
Gender
Cis man	307 (62.5)	256 (62.4)	51 (63.0)	0.126
Cis woman	168 (34.2)	144 (35.1)	24 (29.6)
Transgender and gender diverse	8 (1.6)	5 (1.2)	3 (3.7)
Missing	8 (1.6)	5 (1.2)	3 (3.7)
Housing	15 (3.1)
Stable	267 (54.4)	227 (55.4)	40 (49.4)	0.100
Unstable	210 (42.8)	169 (41.2)	41 (50.6)
Unknown	14 (2.9)	14 (3.4)	0
Employment status
Employed	94 (19.1)	78 (19.0)	16 (19.8)	0.887
Unemployed	367 (74.7)	306 (74.6)	61 (75.3)
Unknown	30 (6.1)	26 (6.3)	4 (4.94)
Urbanicity
Large urban population centre	167 (34.0)	151 (36.8)	16 (19.8)	0.003
Medium population centre	179 (36.5)	149 (36.3)	30 (37.0)
Small population centre	145 (29.5)	110 (26.8)	35 (43.2)
Health authority
Fraser health	95 (19.3)	89 (21.7)	6 (7.4)	< 0.001
Interior health	136 (27.7)	121 (29.5)	15 (18.5)
Island health	110 (22.4)	99 (24.2)	11 (13.6)
Northern health	85 (17.3)	56 (13.7)	29 (35.8)
Vancouver coastal health	65 (13.2)	45 (11.0)	20 (24.7)
L6M service access
Overdose prevention site	137 (27.9)	104 (28.3)	33 (44.0)	0.007
Drug checking services	192 (39.1)	151 (36.8)	41 (50.6)	0.020
Opioid agonist treatment
Yes	193 (39.3)	140 (34.2)	53 (65.4)	< 0.001
No	234 (47.7)	214 (52.2)	20 (24.7)
NA, do not use opioids or PNTA	64 (13.0)	56 (13.7)	8 (9.9)

Total is based on HRCS respondents who used illicit opioids, illicit stimulants, or any benzodiazepines in the last 3 days (and therefore who would be eligible to receive an opioid, stimulant, or benzodiazepine PSS prescription
Stable housing includes the following response options: private residence alone or with someone else, other residence (hotels, motels, rooming houses, single room occupancy (SRO), social/supportive housing, etc.); unstable housing includes shelter, no regular place to stay (homeless, couch surf, no fixed address)
Employed; yes = paid full or part time or volunteer work; No = unemployed. Urbanicity is based on Statistics Canada Population Centre Classification. Participating sites are mapped in Fig. 1
PNTA prefer not to answer, L6M Last 6 months, OAT opioid agonist treatment, OPS overdose prevention site

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