Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42723129›Full record

ArticleImplementation science communications2026

Operationalizing recipient-centeredness: three facets of values-driven care in syringe services programs.

Elana Forman, William H Eger, Christopher F Akiba, Sheila V Patel, Shelby L Huffaker, Jessica Smith, Barrot H Lambdin, Alexis M Roth, Angela R Bazzi

Registry-linked trialAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Implementation science communications, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT06025435 (SAIA-SSP-HIV), which is not on this map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing 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.

NCT06025435 naactive not recruitingnot on this map

SAIA-SSP-HIV: a Systems Analysis and Improvement Approach to Optimizing HIV Service Delivery in Syringe Services Programs

TypeinterventionalSponsorUniversity of California, San DiegoRan2023 to 2027Enrolled32ConditionsHIV InfectionsArmsSAIA-HIV-SSP
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

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

9 authors.

Elana FormanDornsife School of Public Health, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
William H EgerSchool of Social Work, San Diego State University, San Diego, California, USA.
Christopher F AkibaRTI International institution, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA.
Sheila V PatelRTI International institution, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA.
Shelby L HuffakerHerbert Wertheim School of Public Health, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA.
Jessica SmithRTI International institution, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA.
Barrot H LambdinRTI International institution, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA.
Alexis M RothDornsife School of Public Health, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Angela R BazziHerbert Wertheim School of Public Health, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA. abazzi@health.ucsd.edu.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6828-1919

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundSyringe services programs (SSPs) offer critical, evidence-based services for people who use drugs (PWUD), including infectious disease and overdose prevention. SSPs operate from harm reduction and health equity frameworks, prioritizing non-coercive care and client autonomy; these values foster engagement among a community often stigmatized or discriminated against in traditional healthcare settings. As SSPs increasingly expand their clinical service offerings, they may encounter tensions among their core values, internal or funder-driven pressures for service expansion, and partnerships with external healthcare systems. Accordingly, we undertook a qualitative study to understand how SSP staff uphold core values and practice recipient-centeredness, as defined by the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR), when engaging PWUD in health services within harm reduction settings.

methodsFrom May 2023 to February 2024, we conducted qualitative interviews with 41 representatives of 27 SSPs serving diverse U.S. jurisdictions. Guided by the CFIR, trained interviewers used semi-structured interview guides to explore SSPs' health services delivery models. From interviews, recipient-centeredness emerged as a central theme, leading us to employ thematic and narrative analysis to further explore how SSPs defined and operationalized this construct in their programs' health-related services.

resultsSSP staff consistently emphasized the centrality of core values guiding their services, particularly recipient-centeredness. SSPs operationalized recipient-centeredness through three primary facets: accessibility, consistency, and non-coerciveness. These facets informed direct service delivery and referral processes, enabling programs to build trust and meet clients' complex needs. To uphold these facets, SSPs implemented low-barrier service access, mobile outreach, client-centered referrals, and predictable service schedules despite dynamic and sometimes unsupportive contexts.

conclusionsThis study offers a specific operationalization of recipient-centeredness for the unique and understudied setting of SSPs, identifying accessibility, consistency, and non-coerciveness as key facets of this organizational culture. Understanding these facets yields actionable guidance for supporting SSPs in implementing values-driven public health and prevention programming. These findings may also be relevant for other harm reduction and low-barrier care settings seeking to preserve trust, dignity, autonomy, and effectiveness while delivering evidence-based services.

trial registrationNCT06025435.

Indexed as

Consolidated framework for implementation researchHarm reductionHealth servicesLow-barrier careOrganizational cultureRecipient-centerednessSubstance useTrust

Identifiers

PMID42723129
PMCPMC13563885

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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.