ArticleSexually transmitted infections2005
Screening injecting drug users for sexually transmitted infections and blood borne viruses using street outreach and self collected sampling.
Article in Sexually transmitted infections, 2005. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 18 papers, 6 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
18 citing papers in PubMed, 6 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 63 citations in OpenAlex.
- Sexually transmitted infection prevalence and testing coverage among people who inject drugs: A systematic review.Drug and alcohol dependence · 2025Pooled it
- A systematic review and meta-analysis of the evidence for community-based HIV testing on men's engagement in the HIV care cascade.International journal of STD & AIDS · 2022Pooled it
- Self-collection of samples as an additional approach to deliver testing services for sexually transmitted infections: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMJ global health · 2019Pooled it
- The prevalence of Chlamydia trachomatis infection in Australia: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC infectious diseases · 2012Pooled it
- A meta-analysis of the hepatitis C virus distribution in diverse racial/ethnic drug injector groups.Social science & medicine (1982) · 2009Pooled it
- Meta-regression of hepatitis C virus infection in relation to time since onset of illicit drug injection: the influence of time and place.American journal of epidemiology · 2008Pooled it
- How reliable is self-testing for gonorrhea and chlamydia among men who have sex with men?The Journal of family practice · 2013Trial
- HIV, STI, and Hepatitis Among People Who Inject Drugs at a Sexual Health Clinic in Melbourne, Australia: 2012 to 2022.Open forum infectious diseases · 2025Article
- Evaluation of self-directed specimen collection for chlamydia and gonorrhea testing among people who use drugs.International journal of STD & AIDS · 2024Article
- CIHR Canadian HIV Trials Network Coinfection and Concurrent Diseases Core Research Group: 2016 Updated Canadian HIV/Hepatitis C Adult Guidelines for Management and Treatment.The Canadian journal of infectious diseases & medical microbiology = Journal canadien des maladies infectieuses et de la microbiologie medicale · 2016Article
- Problem drug use the public health imperative: what some of the literature says.Substance abuse treatment, prevention, and policy · 2009Article
- Investigation of a cluster of syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia cases among heterosexual Micronesians living on Oahu.Journal of community health · 2009Article
- What needs to change to increase chlamydia screening in general practice in Australia? The views of general practitioners.BMC public health · 2008Article
- From the NIH: proceedings of a workshop on the importance of self-obtained vaginal specimens for detection of sexually transmitted infections.Sexually transmitted diseases · 2008Article
- Does integrating viral hepatitis services into a public STD clinic attract injection drug users for care?Public health reports (Washington, D.C. : 1974) · 2007Article
- Assessing the feasibility of harm reduction services for MSM: the late night breakfast buffet study.Harm reduction journal · 2006Article
- Epidemiology of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection.International journal of medical sciences · 2006Article
- Demographics, sexual risk behaviours and uptake of screening for sexually transmitted infections among attendees of a weekly women-only community clinic program.Canadian journal of public health = Revue canadienne de sante publiqueArticle
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundInjecting drug users (IDUs) are a marginalised population, who infrequently access health services for screening for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and blood borne viruses (BBVs), and are at high risk of these infections.
objectivesTo use street outreach and self collection of samples for STI screening, to establish the prevalence of BBVs and STIs, and to identify risk behaviours among a group of culturally diverse street based IDUs.
methodsThis was a cross sectional study of 314 IDUs in the central business district of Melbourne, Australia, conducted over 3 years (1999-2002). We used street outreach as the recruitment strategy with staff "on foot" in injecting and dealing locations, as well as self collected genital sampling to increase acceptance of screening for Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Chlamydia trachomatis, and Trichomonas vaginalis by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Individuals were screened for hepatitis A, B, and C, syphilis and HIV, and given the option of a self collected or clinician collected blood sample to increase acceptance of screening for BBVs.
resultsStreet outreach was highly effective and self directed STI sampling was more acceptable than practitioner directed sampling (76% versus 9% acceptance, p<0.001). There was a high prevalence of hepatitis C (74%, 95% CI 69 to 79), STIs (8% (5 to 13)), and chlamydia (6% (3 to 10)), and past exposure to hepatitis A and B was common. High rates of recent sharing of injecting equipment, unprotected sex and casual sexual partners, together with low levels of awareness of current hepatitis C infection were identified.
conclusionStreet outreach and self collected genital samples facilitate screening for STIs and BBVs in IDUs and revealed a high prevalence of infections and risk behaviours.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.