SynthesisPloS one2020
The effectiveness of substance use interventions for homeless and vulnerably housed persons: A systematic review of systematic reviews on supervised consumption facilities, managed alcohol programs, and pharmacological agents for opioid use disorder.
Synthesis in PloS one, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 61 papers, 8 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
61 citing papers in PubMed, 8 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 113 citations in OpenAlex.
- Supervised consumption sites and population-level overdose mortality: a systematic review of recent evidence, 2016-2024.Health promotion and chronic disease prevention in Canada : research, policy and practice · 2025Pooled it
- Cardiovascular disease burden in the homeless population.Open heart · 2025Pooled it
- Homelessness and health-related outcomes: an umbrella review of observational studies and randomized controlled trials.BMC medicine · 2022Pooled it
- Health harms of non-medical prescription opioid use: A systematic review.Drug and alcohol review · 2022Pooled it
- What treatment and services are effective for people who are homeless and use drugs? A systematic 'review of reviews'.PloS one · 2021Pooled it
- What can primary care services do to help First Nations people with unhealthy alcohol use? A systematic review: Australia, New Zealand, USA and Canada.Addiction science & clinical practice · 2020Pooled it
- Clinical guideline for homeless and vulnerably housed people, and people with lived homelessness experience.CMAJ : Canadian Medical Association journal = journal de l'Association medicale canadienne · 2020Guideline
- Pooled it
- Mortality in homeless people enrolled in the French housing first randomized controlled trial: a secondary outcome analysis of predictors and causes of death.BMC public health · 2021Trial
- Projected Outcomes of Reducing Federal Funding for Syringe Service Programs via Executive Order.JAMA network open · 2026Article
- Acceptability and usability of a respiratory biosensor for drug overdose detection and first responder notification: a qualitative evaluation of perspectives from people who use drugs and wider stakeholders.Harm reduction journal · 2026Article
- Zero tolerance for 0%? How should clinicians and other practitioners respond to the use of alcohol-free and low-alcohol products in higher risk groups.Addiction (Abingdon, England) · 2026Review
- What are the true medical concerns facing unsheltered homeless adults?Health affairs scholar · 2026Article
- Realist review of managed alcohol programmes for people experiencing alcohol dependence and homelessness: what works, for whom, and in what circumstances?Harm reduction journal · 2026Review
- Weather-Related Trends in Drug Use Incidents Aboard Transit Vehicles.Journal of urban health : bulletin of the New York Academy of Medicine · 2026Article
- Fentanyl test strip use and homelessness among people who use drugs in Rhode Island.The International journal on drug policy · 2026Article
- Saskatoon, Saskatchewan's safe consumption site provides a sizeable social and economic return on investment.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Cross-sectional characterisation of housing and social service engagement prior to death among adults experiencing homelessness in Harris County, Texas, USA.BMJ public health · 2026Article
- Identifying Stigma Phenotypes in Social Media Narratives of Substance Use: Observational Study.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Observational
- Community-based participatory research to improve resident wellness in a supportive living facility in the Northwest Territories.Harm reduction journal · 2025Article
1 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
14 authors at 7 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundSubstance use is disproportionately high among people who are homeless or vulnerably housed. We performed a systematic overview of reviews examining the effects of selected harm reduction and pharmacological interventions on the health and social well-being of people who use substances, with a focus on homeless populations. METHODS AND
findingsWe searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, Joanna Briggs Institute EBP, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews and DARE for systematic reviews from inception to August 2019. We conducted a grey literature search and hand searched reference lists. We selected reviews that synthesized evidence on supervised consumption facilities, managed alcohol programs and pharmacological interventions for opioid use disorders. We abstracted data specific to homeless or vulnerably housed populations. We assessed certainty of the evidence using the GRADE approach. Our search identified 483 citations and 30 systematic reviews met all inclusion criteria, capturing the results from 442 primary studies. This included three reviews on supervised consumption facilities, 24 on pharmacological interventions, and three on managed alcohol programs. Supervised consumption facilities decreased lethal overdoses and other high risk behaviours without any significant harm, and improved access to care. Pharmaceutical interventions reduced mortality, morbidity, and substance use, but the impact on retention in treatment, mental illness and access to care was variable. Managed alcohol programs reduced or stabilized alcohol consumption. Few studies on managed alcohol programs reported deaths.
conclusionsSubstance use is a common chronic condition impacting homeless populations. Supervised consumption facilities reduce overdose and improve access to care, while pharmacological interventions may play a role in reducing harms and addressing other morbidity. High quality evidence on managed alcohol programs is limited.
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.