Articles
Page 10 of 26
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Citation: Harm Reduction Journal 2021 18:94
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Prevalence and correlates of non-fatal overdose among people who use drugs: findings from rapid assessments in Massachusetts, 2017–2019
People who experience non-fatal overdose (NFOD) are at high risk of subsequent overdose. With unprecedented increases in fentanyl in the US drug supply, many Massachusetts (MA) communities have seen a surge in...
Citation: Harm Reduction Journal 2021 18:93 -
Drug use, homelessness and health: responding to the opioid overdose crisis with housing and harm reduction services
Canada is in the midst of an opioid overdose crisis and Alberta has one of the highest opioid use rates across the country. Populations made vulnerable through structural inequities who also use opioids, such ...
Citation: Harm Reduction Journal 2021 18:92 -
A drug-related Good Samaritan Law and calling emergency medical services for drug overdoses in a Canadian setting
People who use drugs (PWUD) are known to fear calling emergency medical services (EMS) for drug overdoses. In response, drug-related Good Samaritan Laws (GSLs) have been widely adopted in the USA and Canada to...
Citation: Harm Reduction Journal 2021 18:91 -
Food access among people who inject drugs in West Virginia
The substance use epidemic in the United States continues to drive high levels of morbidity and mortality, particularly among people who inject drugs (PWID). Poor access to food often co-occurs with drug use a...
Citation: Harm Reduction Journal 2021 18:90 -
Opioid overdose crises during the COVID-19 pandemic: implication of health disparities
Recent data suggest a disproportionate impact of opioid overdoses on Black Americans. The study aims to describe emergency department (ED) visits at a Southern, urban ED pertaining to opioid overdose and assoc...
Citation: Harm Reduction Journal 2021 18:89 -
“It’s like ‘liquid handcuffs”: The effects of take-home dosing policies on Methadone Maintenance Treatment (MMT) patients’ lives
Methadone Maintenance Treatment (MMT) is widely recognized as one of the most effective ways of reducing risk of overdose, arrest, and transmission of blood-borne viruses like HIV and HCV among people that use...
Citation: Harm Reduction Journal 2021 18:88 -
High-dose intravenous hydromorphone for patients who use opioids in the hospital setting: time to reduce the barriers
Individuals who use opioids have higher rates of hospitalization compared to the general population. Insufficiently treated withdrawal and pain are major factors contributing to high rates of self-initiated ho...
Citation: Harm Reduction Journal 2021 18:87 -
Sexualized drug injection among men who have sex with men in Madrid and Barcelona as the first episode of drug injecting
We estimate the prevalence of drug injection, the variables associated with having ever injected and the proportion of ever injectors whose first drug injection was for having sex; we describe the first drug i...
Citation: Harm Reduction Journal 2021 18:86 -
A qualitative study on overdose response in the era of COVID-19 and beyond: how to spot someone so they never have to use alone
Spotting is an informal practice among people who use drugs (PWUD) where they witness other people using drugs and respond if an overdose occurs. During COVID-19 restrictions, remote spotting (e.g., using a te...
Citation: Harm Reduction Journal 2021 18:85 -
Factors affecting addiction severity index (ASI) among clients enrolled in methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) program in Myanmar
Opioid substitution with methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) is shown to reduce illicit opioid use and renew social functioning. Understanding factors that undermine clients’ social functioning during MMT tr...
Citation: Harm Reduction Journal 2021 18:84 -
Long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs) as harm reduction: a qualitative study exploring views of women with histories of opioid misuse
The sharp rise in opioid use disorder (OUD) among women coupled with disproportionally high rates of unintended pregnancy have led to a four-fold increase in the number of pregnant women with OUD in the United...
Citation: Harm Reduction Journal 2021 18:83 -
What are the ethical implications of using prize-based contingency management in substance use? A scoping review
The area of substance use is notable for its early uptake of incentives and wealth of research on the topic. This is particularly true for prize-based contingency management (PB-CM), a particular type of incen...
Citation: Harm Reduction Journal 2021 18:82 -
“We're actually more of a likely ally than an unlikely ally”: relationships between syringe services programs and law enforcement
Syringe services programs provide sterile injection supplies and a range of health services (e.g., HIV and HEP-C testing, overdose prevention education, provision of naloxone) to a hard-to-reach population, in...
Citation: Harm Reduction Journal 2021 18:81 -
Treatment experiences for skin and soft tissue infections among participants of syringe service programs in North Carolina
Bacterial and fungal infections, such as skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs) and infective endocarditis (IE), are increasing among people who use drugs in the United States. Traditional healthcare settings...
Citation: Harm Reduction Journal 2021 18:80 -
Impact of tobacco and/or nicotine products on health and functioning: a scoping review and findings from the preparatory phase of the development of a new self-report measure
Measuring self-reported experience of health and functioning is important for understanding the changes in the health status of individuals switching from cigarettes to less harmful tobacco and/or nicotine pro...
Citation: Harm Reduction Journal 2021 18:79 -
Hidden populations: risk behaviours in drug-using populations in the Republic of Georgia through subsequent peer-driven interventions
Georgia has a significant risk of ongoing HIV and HCV outbreak. Within this context, harm reduction aims to reduce risk associated with drug use through community activities, such as peer recruitment and invol...
Citation: Harm Reduction Journal 2021 18:78 -
Substance use and overdose risk: documenting the perspectives of formerly incarcerated persons in the Fraser East region of BC
The relationship between incarceration and risk of overdose has been well-documented in the literature, but few studies document the perspectives of persons at risk of overdose who were incarcerated. This sub-...
Citation: Harm Reduction Journal 2021 18:77 -
Municipal police support for harm reduction services in officer-led referrals of people who inject drugs in Tijuana, Mexico
Police constitute a structural determinant of health and HIV risk of people who inject drugs (PWID), and negative encounters with law enforcement present significant barriers to PWID access to harm reduction s...
Citation: Harm Reduction Journal 2021 18:76 -
Willingness to use a wearable device capable of detecting and reversing overdose among people who use opioids in Philadelphia
The incidence of opioid-related overdose deaths has been rising for 30 years and has been further exacerbated amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Naloxone can reverse opioid overdose, lower death rates, and enable a...
Citation: Harm Reduction Journal 2021 18:75 -
Injections and infections: understanding syringe service program utilization in a rural state
Increasing rates of injection drug use (IDU) associated-infections suggest significant syringe service program (SSP) underutilization. Our study objective was to assess practices of safe injection techniques a...
Citation: Harm Reduction Journal 2021 18:74 -
Perceived physical health outcomes of direct-acting antiviral treatment for hepatitis C: a qualitative study
Novel health promotion and treatment uptake initiatives will be necessary to ensure Australia meets 2030 hepatitis C elimination targets. Increasing treatment uptake will be assisted by a better understanding ...
Citation: Harm Reduction Journal 2021 18:73 -
Exploring the use of cannabis as a substitute for prescription drugs in a convenience sample
The use of cannabis as medicine (CaM) both prescribed and non-prescribed has increased markedly in the last decade, mirrored in a global shift in cannabis policy towards a more permissive stance. There is some...
Citation: Harm Reduction Journal 2021 18:72 -
Factors associated with opioid overdose during medication-assisted treatment: How can we identify individuals at risk?
Due to the loss of tolerance to opioids during medication-assisted treatment (MAT), this period may represent a time of heightened risk for overdose. Identifying factors associated with increased risk of overd...
Citation: Harm Reduction Journal 2021 18:71 -
Pharmacist attitudes and provision of harm reduction services in North Carolina: an exploratory study
Pharmacists are among the most accessible healthcare providers in the United States and uniquely positioned to provide harm reduction services. The availability of pharmacy-based harm reduction services and ph...
Citation: Harm Reduction Journal 2021 18:70 -
Therapy of chronic hepatitis C in people who inject drugs: focus on adherence
Intravenous drug use (IVDU) represents the major factor of HCV transmission, but the treatment uptake among people who inject drugs (PWID) remains low owing to a false presumption of low efficacy. The aim of o...
Citation: Harm Reduction Journal 2021 18:69 -
Factors that influence enrollment in syringe services programs in rural areas: a qualitative study among program clients in Appalachian Kentucky
Enrolling sufficient number of people who inject drugs (PWID) into syringe services programs (SSP) is important to curtail outbreaks of drug-related harms. Still, little is known about barriers and facilitator...
Citation: Harm Reduction Journal 2021 18:68 -
The state of harm reduction in prisons in 30 European countries with a focus on people who inject drugs and infectious diseases
People who inject drugs are often imprisoned, which is associated with increased levels of health risks including overdose and infectious diseases transmission, affecting not only people in prison but also the...
Citation: Harm Reduction Journal 2021 18:67 -
Is expected substance type associated with timing of drug checking service utilization?: A cross-sectional study
Drug checking is a harm reduction intervention aiming to reduce substance use-related risks by improving drug user knowledge of the composition of unregulated drugs. With increasing fears of fentanyl adulterat...
Citation: Harm Reduction Journal 2021 18:66 -
“If I knew I could get that every hour instead of alcohol, I would take the cannabis”: need and feasibility of cannabis substitution implementation in Canadian managed alcohol programs
While there is robust evidence for strategies to reduce harms of illicit drug use, less attention has been paid to alcohol harm reduction for people experiencing severe alcohol use disorder (AUD), homelessness...
Citation: Harm Reduction Journal 2021 18:65 -
“You know, we can change the services to suit the circumstances of what is happening in the world”: a rapid case study of the COVID-19 response across city centre homelessness and health services in Edinburgh, Scotland
The COVID-19 pandemic has necessitated unprecedented changes in the way that health, social, and housing services are delivered to individuals experiencing homelessness and problem substance use. Protecting th...
Citation: Harm Reduction Journal 2021 18:64 -
Epidemic of HIV infection among persons who inject drugs in mainland China: a series, cross-sectional study
Studies have suggested that the injection drug use (IDU) was no longer the main transmission route of HIV/AIDS in China. However, there has never been a study to assess the national HIV epidemic among persons ...
Citation: Harm Reduction Journal 2021 18:63 -
High levels of used syringe use and unsafe sex among people who inject drugs in Kumasi, Ghana: an urgent call for a comprehensive harm reduction approach
Drug use is a growing concern in Ghana. People who inject drugs (PWID) are highly vulnerable to HIV and other infectious diseases. Ghana’s National Strategic Plan for HIV/AIDS 2016–2020 identifies PWID as a ke...
Citation: Harm Reduction Journal 2021 18:62 -
Gaps in evidence for the use of medically authorized cannabis: Ontario and Alberta, Canada
With legal access to medical cannabis in Canada since 2001, there is a need to fully characterize its use at both the individual and population levels. We draw on data from Canada’s largest cohort study of med...
Citation: Harm Reduction Journal 2021 18:61 -
Organizational support for frontline harm reduction and systems navigation work among workers with living and lived experience: qualitative findings from British Columbia, Canada
The inclusion of people with lived and living experience of substance use is essential to effective and client-centered harm reduction services and strategies. The aim of this study is to critically examine an...
Citation: Harm Reduction Journal 2021 18:60 -
Prevalence of HIV and HCV among injecting drug users in three selected WHO-EMRO countries: a meta-analysis
HIV and Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) infections are responsible for a significant burden of mortality and morbidity, particularly in developing countries. This study sought to determine the prevalence of HIV and He...
Citation: Harm Reduction Journal 2021 18:59 -
Relationship between benzodiazepine prescription, aggressive behavior, and behavioral disinhibition: a retrospective study in a Swiss prison
Benzodiazepines are commonly prescribed in prisons amidst the controversies surrounding their potential role in causing behavioral disinhibition and aggressive behavior and their association with use and traff...
Citation: Harm Reduction Journal 2021 18:58 -
Use of sustained release dextroamphetamine for the treatment of stimulant use disorder in the setting of injectable opioid agonist treatment in Canada: a case report
For people with opioid use disorder who are not responding to oral opioid agonist treatment, evidence supports the effectiveness of injectable opioid agonist treatment with injectable hydromorphone (an opioid ...
Citation: Harm Reduction Journal 2021 18:57 -
Reducing drug-use harms among higher education students: MyUSE contextual-behaviour change digital intervention development using the Behaviour Change Wheel
Digital harm-reduction interventions typically focus on people with severe drug-use problems, yet these interventions have moderate effectiveness on drug-users with lower levels of risk of harm. The difference...
Citation: Harm Reduction Journal 2021 18:56 -
Alcohol use and its determinants among adults living with HIV/AIDS in Ethiopia: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Alcohol use is a common practice of almost all communities worldwide and it is more common among persons with HIV infection. Alcohol consumption among people with HIV/AIDS may result in poor treatment adherenc...
Citation: Harm Reduction Journal 2021 18:55 -
Identification and treatment of viral hepatitis C in persons who use drugs: a prospective, multicenter outreach study in Flanders, Belgium
Targeted screening for hepatitis C viral (HCV) infection is not yet widely executed in Belgium. When performed in people who use drugs (PWUD), it is mainly focused on those receiving opiate agonist therapy (OA...
Citation: Harm Reduction Journal 2021 18:54 -
High-intensity cannabis use and hospitalization: a prospective cohort study of street-involved youth in Vancouver, Canada
There is concern that cannabis use negatively affects vulnerable groups such as youth; however, the relationship between cannabis use and health care utilization has not been well characterized in this populat...
Citation: Harm Reduction Journal 2021 18:53 -
Health literacy and changes in pattern of drug use among participants at the Stockholm Needle Exchange Program during the COVID-19 pandemic
People who inject drugs may be particularly vulnerable to the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) due to underlying health problems, stigma and social vulnerabilities. Harm reduction s...
Citation: Harm Reduction Journal 2021 18:52 -
HIV incidence and associated risk factors in female spouses of men who inject drugs in Pakistan
Female sexual partners of men who inject drugs (MWID) living with HIV are at risk of HIV transmission. HIV prevalence estimates among non-drug using female sex partners of MWID are scarce, with no studies docu...
Citation: Harm Reduction Journal 2021 18:51 -
Effect of Massachusetts House Bill No. 4196 on electronic cigarette use: a mixed-methods study
Electronic cigarettes, or e-cigarettes, are devices that deliver nicotine-containing aerosol and were used by 2.8% of American adults in 2017. Many people who smoke cigarettes have used e-cigarettes for smokin...
Citation: Harm Reduction Journal 2021 18:50 -
Motivations, dating app relationships, unintended consequences and change in sexual behaviour in dating app users at an Australian music festival
Despite the popularity of dating apps, there remain scarce data on the motivations, consequences and their influence on sexual behaviour change in the Australian population.
Citation: Harm Reduction Journal 2021 18:49 -
Cannabis use, sedentary behavior, and physical activity in a nationally representative sample of US adults
Prior research examining the relationship between cannabis use, sedentary behavior, and physical activity has generated conflicting findings, potentially due to biases in the self-reported measures used to ass...
Citation: Harm Reduction Journal 2021 18:48 -
Practical implications of naloxone knowledge among suburban people who use opioids
Naloxone distribution programs have been a cornerstone of the public health response to the overdose crisis in the USA. Yet people who use opioids (PWUO) continue to face a number of barriers accessing naloxon...
Citation: Harm Reduction Journal 2021 18:47 -
Considering treatment-as-prevention scale-up for Australian prisons: a qualitative sub-study of expert stakeholders from the Australian ‘surveillance and treatment of prisoners with hepatitis C’ project (SToP-C)
With direct-acting antivirals dramatically reshaping the public health response to the hepatitis C virus (HCV), prisons are set to play a critical role in elimination efforts. Despite the theoretical demonstra...
Citation: Harm Reduction Journal 2021 18:46 -
Examining common mental health disorders in people living with HIV on methadone maintenance therapy in Hanoi, Vietnam
Injection drug use drives HIV transmission in Southeast Asia, where around a quarter of users are living with HIV. Vietnam developed Methadone Maintenance Therapy (MMT) programs to reduce unsafe drug abuse. Co...
Citation: Harm Reduction Journal 2021 18:45