Category Archives: Nonmedicinal drugs
The opioid and related drug epidemics in rural Appalachia: A systematic review of populations affected, risk factors, and infectious diseases
Background/aims: To examine trends in rural Appalachian opioid and related drug epidemics during the past 10 years, including at-risk populations, substance use shifts and correlates, and associated infections. Methods: We...
Pre-exposure prophylaxis use and medication adherence among men who have sex with men: A systematic review of the literature
The appropriate use of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) by men who have sex with men (MSM) can be highly effective at reducing HIV transmission. Our review examined prevalence estimates, sexual behaviors,...
How does hard-to-reach status affect antiretroviral therapy adherence in the HIV-infected population? Results from a meta-analysis of observational studies
BACKGROUND: Socially disadvantaged groups, such as drug users, sex workers and homeless individuals, are labelled as “hard-to-reach” (HTR) in public health and medical research. HIV disproportionately impacts these populations, but...
Risk factors for prescription drug diversion among people living with HIV: A systematic scoping review
BACKGROUND: In addition to numerous infections and frequent pain constantly affecting people living with HIV (PLWH), various risk factors might contribute to prescription drug diversion. The purpose of the study...
HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) awareness and acceptability among trans women: a review
Transgender (trans) women are disproportionally burdened by the HIV epidemic due to complex structural, psychosocial and biological factors. HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is a biomedical prevention approach for people at...
Health literacy and health outcomes in persons living with HIV disease: A systematic review
Low health literacy is associated with challenges for those living with HIV including medication non-adherence and poorer health outcomes. The aim of this study was to systematically review the literature...
Substance use screening in HIV care settings: A review and critique of the literature
PURPOSE OF REVIEW: People living with human immunodeficiency virus/AIDS (PLWHA) experience high prevalence of substance use disorders (SUD). HIV care settings represent a unique opportunity to identify possible SUD, to...
Integrated care of severe infectious diseases to people with substance use disorders; a systematic review
BACKGROUND: Various integrated care models have been used to improve treatment completion of medications for chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV), chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV), Mycobacterium tuberculosis (TB), and Human...