SynthesisHarm reduction journal2017
Needle exchange programs for the prevention of hepatitis C virus infection in people who inject drugs: a systematic review with meta-analysis.
Synthesis in Harm reduction journal, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 24 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
24 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 45 citations in OpenAlex.
- Impact of harm minimization interventions on reducing blood-borne infection transmission and some injecting behaviors among people who inject drugs: an overview and evidence gap mapping.Addiction science & clinical practice · 2024Pooled it
- Associations between the prevalence of chronic hepatitis B among people who inject drugs and country-level characteristics: An ecological analysis.Drug and alcohol review · 2023Pooled it
- Effectiveness of Interventions for Prevention of Common Infections Among Opioid Users: A Systematic Review of Systematic Reviews.Frontiers in public health · 2022Pooled it
- A systematic review and meta-analysis of the prevalence of hepatitis C virus infection in people who inject drugs in Iran.BMC public health · 2020Pooled it
- Mobile Telemedicine for Treating Chronic Hepatitis C Among Rural People Who Inject Drugs: A Randomized Clinical Trial.JAMA network open · 2026Trial
- Exploring Sexually Transmitted and Bloodborne Infection Rates in Florida After Implementation of Syringe Services Programs: A Quasi-Experimental Study.AJPM focus · 2026Article
- Article
- [Challenges in the treatment of opioid dependence].Der Nervenarzt · 2024Review
- More than Just Buying a Van: Lessons Learned from a Mobile Telehealth HCV Testing and Treatment Study.Viruses · 2024Article
- "We do it ourselves": strengths and opportunities for improving the practice of harm reduction.Harm reduction journal · 2023Article
- Understanding the Changing Landscape of Health Disparities in Chronic Liver Diseases and Liver Cancer.Gastro hep advances · 2023Article
- Effectiveness of interventions for prevention of common infections in people who use opioids: a protocol for a systematic review of systematic reviews.Systematic reviews · 2021Article
- Correlates of injection-related wounds and skin infections amongst persons who inject drugs and use a syringe service programme: A single center study.International wound journal · 2021Article
- One-carbon metabolism-related micronutrients intake and risk for hepatocellular carcinoma: A prospective cohort study.International journal of cancer · 2020Article
- Community Perceptions of Comprehensive Harm Reduction Programs and Stigma Towards People Who Inject Drugs in Rural Virginia.Journal of community health · 2020Article
- Understanding the public health consequences of suspending a rural syringe services program: a qualitative study of the experiences of people who inject drugs.Harm reduction journal · 2019Article
- Barriers to using new needles encountered by rural Appalachian people who inject drugs: implications for needle exchange.Harm reduction journal · 2019Article
- Article
- PRO: Needle Exchange Programs Should Be Instituted to Reduce Hepatitis C Virus Transmission.Clinical liver disease · 2018Review
- Foot drop with a popliteal artery aneurysm due to heroin use: A case report.Turkish journal of physical medicine and rehabilitation · 2018Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundPrevious research on the effectiveness of needle exchange programs (NEP) in preventing hepatitis C virus (HCV) in people who inject drugs (PWID) has shown mixed findings. The purpose of this study was to use the meta-analytic approach to examine the association between NEP use and HCV prevention in PWIDs.
methodsStudy inclusion criteria were (1) observational studies, (2) PWIDs, (3) NEP use, (4) HCV status ascertained by serological testing, (5) studies published in any language since January 1, 1989, and (6) data available for measures of association. Studies were located by searching four electronic databases and cross-referencing. Study quality was assessed using the Newcastle Ottawa (NOS) scale. A ratio measure of association was calculated for each result from cohort or case-control studies and pooled using a random effects model. Odds ratio (OR) and hazard ratio (HR) models were analyzed separately. Results were considered statistically significant if the 95% confidence interval (CI) did not cross 1. Heterogeneity was estimated using Q and I
resultsOf the 555 citations reviewed, 6 studies containing 2437 participants were included. Studies had an average NOS score of 7 out of 9 (77.8%) stars. Concerns over participant representativeness, unclear adjustments for confounders, and bias from participant nonresponse and loss to follow-up were noted. Results were mixed with the odds ratio model indicating no consistent association (OR, 0.51, 95% CI, 0.05-5.15), and the hazard ratio model indicating a harmful effect (HR, 2.05, 95% CI, 1.39-3.03). Substantial heterogeneity (p ≤ 0.10) and moderate to large inconsistency (I
conclusionsThe impact of NEPs on HCV prevention in PWIDs remains unclear. There is a need for well-designed research studies employing standardized criteria and measurements to clarify this issue.
trial registrationPROSPERO CRD42016035315.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
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.