Impact of safer supply programs on injection practices: client and provider experiences in Ontario, Canada

Harm Reduction Journal

Research

Gillian Kolla¹  Rose A. Schmidt²  David T. Kryszajtys²  Carol Strike²  Marilou Gagnon³  Adrian Guta⁴  Katherine Rudzinski⁴ 

[1] Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research, University of Victoria, 2300 McKenzie Avenue, V8N 5M8, Victoria, BC, Canada;Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada;School of Nursing, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada;Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research, University of Victoria, 2300 McKenzie Avenue, V8N 5M8, Victoria, BC, Canada;School of Social Work, University of Windsor, Windsor, ON, Canada;

关键词: Drugs;    Fentanyl;    Injection;    Overdose;    Qualitative research;    Safer supply;    Substance use;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12954-023-00817-7

 received in 2023-01-19, accepted in 2023-06-22,  发布年份 2023

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

ObjectivesFentanyl has contributed to a sharp rise in the toxicity of the unregulated drug supply and fatal overdoses in Canada. It has also changed injection practices. Injection frequency has increased as a result and so has equipment sharing and health-related risks. The aim of this analysis was to explore the impact of safer supply programs on injection practices from the perspective of clients and providers in Ontario, Canada.MethodsThe data set included qualitative interviewswith 52 clients and 21 providers that were conducted between February and October 2021 across four safer supply programs. Interview excerpts discussing injection practices were extracted, screened, coded and then grouped into themes.ResultsWe identified three themes, each theme corresponding to a change in injection practices. The first change was a decrease in the amount of fentanyl used and a decrease in injection frequency. The second change involved switching to injecting hydromorphone tablets instead of fentanyl. Finally, the third change was stopping injecting altogether and taking safer supply medications orally.ConclusionSafer supply programs can contribute to reducing injection-related health risks in addition to overdose risks. More specifically, they have the potential to address disease prevention and health promotion gaps that stand-alone downstream harm reduction interventions cannot address, by working upstream and providing a safer alternative to fentanyl.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© The Author(s) 2023