Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42035889›Full record

ArticleJournal of substance use and addiction treatment2026

"Smart" harm reduction vending machines to improve public health: Evaluating the utilization.

Alice Zhang, Jennifer Murphy, Paul M Griffin, Marcia Goodman-Hinnershitz, Casey N Pinto, Sarah M Ballard, Patricia Sue Grigson, Sarah S Kawasaki, Wen-Jan Tuan, Aleksandra E Zgierska

Abstract read
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In one paragraph

Article in Journal of substance use and addiction treatment, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Alice ZhangDepartment of Family and Community Medicine, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, USA. Electronic address: azhang@pennstatehealth.psu.edu.
Jennifer MurphyDepartment of Criminal Justice, Penn State Berks, Wyomissing, PA, USA.
Paul M GriffinDepartment of Industrial Engineering, Penn State College of Engineering, University Park, PA, USA.
Marcia Goodman-HinnershitzCouncil on Chemical Abuse, Reading, PA, USA.
Casey N PintoDepartment of Public Health Sciences, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, USA.
Sarah M BallardDepartment of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, USA.
Patricia Sue GrigsonDepartment of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, USA.
Sarah S KawasakiDepartment of Medicine, and Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, USA.
Wen-Jan TuanDepartment of Family and Community Medicine, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, USA.
Aleksandra E ZgierskaDepartment of Family and Community Medicine, Public Health Sciences, and Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, USA.

Funding

Comprehensive CBT via reSET for a Hub and Spoke MAT System of CareR33AT010118 · NCCIH · PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIV HERSHEY MED CTR · PI CAMPBELL, AIMEE N, HOLDEN, DENISE MICHELLE · 2019 to 2020
$1.4M
Vending machines: a low-barrier method to deliver public health services in the communityK23DA060412 · NIDA · PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIV HERSHEY MED CTR · PI Alice Zhang · 2025 to 2026
$402k
NCCIH NIH HHS R33 AT010118NIDA NIH HHS K23 DA060412
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundLow-barrier methods, including vending machines (VMs), for dispensing harm reduction (HR) items have become popular in the United States. Technological advances have enabled VM's advanced features (e.g., interactive touchscreens, client registration, cloud-based data collection). This report describes the evaluation outcomes from two "smart" VMs (sVMs) in community settings with the goal of reducing harms related to substance use, especially opioids.

methodsTwo sVMs, placed in central Pennsylvania's communities (one outside an urban hospital's emergency department; another inside a community organization's lobby in a small city), dispensed free HR items and provided information on, and linkages to, healthcare, social welfare, and other community services. Data on sVM utilization, collected from May 2024 to May 2025, were analyzed using descriptive statistics; test of proportions was used to compare the data across the two sites.

resultsOver one year, 2321 clients accessed the two sVMs, with an additional 4472 sessions with non-registered individuals viewing items or resources. The sVMs dispensed 11,327 items to 2321 registered clients, with hygiene kits (n = 3454), wound care kits (n = 1674), and safer sex kits (n = 1553) being most common. The sVMs dispensed 2755 drug testing strips and 1906 naloxone doses. Furthermore, 396 registered clients obtained information on existing resources/services. Across a total of 14,867 sessions, significant differences in usage were noted between the two sVMs.

conclusionsInteractive sVMs can effectively dispense HR items and connect individuals to services, thereby having the potential to improve individual and public health. Contextual factors, such as location, may influence utilization.

Indexed as

Harm ReductionPublic HealthDrug DispensariesHumansNaloxoneNarcotic AntagonistsPennsylvaniaNaloxoneNarcotic AntagonistsHarm reductionNaloxoneOverdoseSubstance useVending machine

Identifiers

PMID42035889
PMCPMC13154227

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Registered trials

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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.