ArticleHarm reduction journal2021
Treatment experiences for skin and soft tissue infections among participants of syringe service programs in North Carolina.
Article in Harm reduction journal, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 13 papers.
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Who cites it
13 citing papers in PubMed, 21 citations in OpenAlex.
- Communication Barriers in Patient-Provider Interactions in Health Care: Scoping Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2026Article
- An online stigma reduction education program for healthcare workers working with people who inject drugs: Development.PloS one · 2026Article
- Bacterial and fungal infections in persons who inject drugs.Clinical microbiology reviews · 2025Review
- "It always needs a higher level of care than what I can provide": Practical, ethical, and administrative tensions arising from the integration of wound care services into syringe service programs in Maryland.The International journal on drug policy · 2025Article
- Experiences of the changing illicit drug supply among racial and ethnic minoritized people in three US states: a qualitative study.Harm reduction journal · 2024Article
- A hand-washing community-based educational intervention to reduce abscess incidence among people who inject drugs: a cluster randomised controlled clinical trial protocol (the HAWA study protocol).BMC public health · 2024Article
- Long-term Risk of Serious Infections and Mortality Among Patients Surviving Drug Use-Associated Infective Endocarditis.Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America · 2024Article
- Article
- Reducing the harms of xylazine: clinical approaches, research deficits, and public health context.Harm reduction journal · 2023Review
- Buprenorphine implementation at syringe service programs following waiver of the Ryan Haight Act in the United States.Drug and alcohol dependence · 2022Article
- Improving equity and access to buprenorphine treatment through telemedicine at syringe services programs.Substance abuse treatment, prevention, and policy · 2022Article
- Treatment experiences for skin and soft tissue infections among participants of syringe service programs in North Carolina.Harm reduction journal · 2021Article
- Perspectives on syringe services programs among patients hospitalized with injection drug use-associated endocarditis: a qualitative study.Therapeutic advances in infectious diseaseArticle
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
10 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionBacterial 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 can be inaccessible and unwelcoming to people who use drugs, leading to delays in getting necessary care. The objective of this study was to examine SSTI treatment experiences among people utilizing services from syringe services programs. This study was initiated by people with lived experience of drug use to improve quality of care.
methodsWe conducted a cross-sectional survey among participants of five syringe services programs in North Carolina from July through September 2020. Surveys collected information on each participant's history of SSTIs and IE, drug use and healthcare access characteristics, and SSTI treatment experiences. We examined participant characteristics using counts and percentages. We also examined associations between participant characteristics and SSTI history using binomial linear regression models.
resultsOverall, 46% of participants reported an SSTI in the previous 12 months and 10% reported having IE in the previous 12 months. Those with a doctor they trusted with drug use-related concerns had 27 fewer (95% confidence interval = - 51.8, - 2.1) SSTIs per every 100 participants compared to those without a trusted doctor. Most participants with a SSTI history reported delaying (98%) or not seeking treatment (72%) for their infections. Concerns surrounding judgment or mistreatment by medical staff and self-treating the infection were common reasons for delaying or not seeking care. 13% of participants used antibiotics obtained from sources other than a medical provider to treat their most recent SSTI. Many participants suggested increased access to free antibiotics and on-site clinical care based at syringe service programs to improve treatment for SSTIs.
conclusionsMany participants had delayed or not received care for SSTIs due to poor healthcare experiences. However, having a trusted doctor was associated with fewer people with SSTIs. Improved access to non-judgmental healthcare for people who use drugs with SSTIs is needed. Expansion of syringe services program-based SSTI prevention and treatment programs is likely a necessary approach to improve outcomes among those with SSTI and IE.
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