Use of North America's first medically supervised safer injecting facility among HIV-positive injection drug users.
The objective of this study was to examine supervised injecting facility (SIF) use among a cohort of 395 HIV-positive injection drug users (IDUs) in Vancouver, Canada. The correlates of SIF use were identified using generalized estimating equation analyses. In multivariate analyses, frequent SIF use was associated with homelessness (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.90), daily heroin injection (AOR = 1.56), and daily cocaine injection (AOR = 1.59). The reasons given for not using the SIF included a preference for injecting at home and already having a safe place to inject. The SIF services most commonly used were needle exchange and nursing services. The SIF appears to have attracted a high-risk subpopulation of HIV-positive IDUs; this coverage perhaps could be extended with the addition of HIV-specific services such as disease monitoring and the provision of antiretroviral therapy.
British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, St. Paul’s Hospital, Vancouver, Canada.
Hudson
H
Reddon
Evan
E
Wood
Mark
M
Tyndall
Calvin
C
Lai
Robert
R
Hogg
Julio
J
Montaner
Thomas
T
Kerr
D000328:Adult; D002170:Canada; D055030:Drug Users / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications*; D040261:Harm Reduction; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D018671:Needle-Exchange Programs / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D015819:Substance Abuse, Intravenous / Q000150:complications* / Q000451:nursing