Integrating HIV prevention into substance user treatment: current practices and challenges.
Despite well-organized prevention efforts, HIV continues to spread in the United States. Injection drug users (IDUs) and other substance users who engage in high-risk behaviors are at particularly high risk for contracting HIV. Substance abuse(dagger) counselors therefore are in a unique position to present HIV prevention messages to their clients. This article reports the results of a study that surveyed counselors in an urban setting (n = 116) to assess their knowledge of HIV, their current HIV prevention practices, and their attitudes about integrating HIV prevention more fully into their work. The article concludes with a discussion of the survey's limitations and its implications for training.
D001290:Attitude; D002641:Chicago; D003376:Counseling / Q000458:organization & administration*; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000635:transmission; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007087:Illinois; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011361:Professional Competence; D012309:Risk-Taking; D015819:Substance Abuse, Intravenous / Q000628:therapy*; D014481:United States