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Mitigating the impacts of Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS) and substance use requires comprehensive and systematic thinking in designing interventions and developing policies. This study describes the growth of research publications from 1991 to 2021 in the Web of Science database and points out current research landscapes in the fields of HIV/AIDS and substance use. Latent Dirichlet Allocation was used for classifying 21 359 papers into corresponding topics. The most common topics were HIV transmission, HIV infection, quality of life and mental health of substance users, and the biomedical effect of substance use. Emerging research landscapes include vulnerabilities of people who inject drugs to HIV transmission and related health problems. This study found a lack of research on health services, interdisciplinary and inter-sectoral in combination with clinical evaluation and treatment services. Future investment and implementation of HIV/AIDS and substance use programs should focus on research of health services and clinical evaluation, especially context-specific interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: A greater understanding of Over the Counter (OTC) and Prescription Only Medication (POM) misuse amongst adults accessing substance misuse services (SMS) during COVID-19 is required to identify how SMS can better meet the needs of the people who require treatment. AIM: To use a questionnaire to explore OTC/POM misuse during COVID-19 in adults accessing community SMS in England. METHODS: In 2020 to 2021 anonymous self-administered online/paper questionnaires which collated quantitative and qualitative data were completed. They were piloted for suitability and ethical approval was obtained. Thematic analysis was conducted for qualitative data and chi-square tests used to assess the relationship between quantitative variables. RESULTS: Participants were Caucasian (94.6% British), majority male (58.9%), aged 18 to 61 years. Most were prescribed medication for problematic substance use, with a 92.5% self-reported adherence rate. The misuse of benzodiazepines (22.2%) codeine products (30.8%) and pregabalin (14.5%) predominated and 37.5% misused 2 or more medicines. Administration was usually oral and concomitant use of other substances was common: alcohol 44.6% (52% daily), tobacco/vaping 73.2% and illicit substances 58.9%. There were statistically significant associations identified, including between changes during COVID-19 to OTC/POM misuse and illicit use. Only 56 questionnaires were included in the analysis: we believe this low number was because of infection control measures, limited footfall in services, pressures on staff limiting their capacity to distribute the paper questionnaires and reliance upon telephone consultations limiting online distribution. Increasing OTC/POM misuse and obtaining illicit supplies were reported when access to usual supplies were restricted; however, changes to doses/dispensing arrangement liberalisation in response to COVID-19 were positively viewed. CONCLUSION: OTC/POM misuse, including polypharmacy and concomitant use of other substances occurred during COVID-19: SMS need to be vigilant for these issues and mitigate the associated risks for example with harm reduction interventions. Further qualitative research is required to explore the issues identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Negative attitudes and stigmatization of substance-using patients lead to treatment avoidance and poor physical and health outcomes. Research suggests that training in substance use disorders is a vital tool to abate negative attitudes among health workers. The present longitudinal study trained students and experienced practitioners from various disciplines on the evidence-based Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) model. The study found significant improvements in the attitudes of students—but not practitioners—who were trained during the program. The paper discusses policy and implementation implications to support and complement sustained impact of training on models such as SBIRT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mitigating the impacts of Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS) and substance use requires comprehensive and systematic thinking in designing interventions and developing policies. This study describes the growth of research publications from 1991 to 2021 in the Web of Science database and points out current research landscapes in the fields of HIV/AIDS and substance use. Latent Dirichlet Allocation was used for classifying 21 359 papers into corresponding topics. The most common topics were HIV transmission, HIV infection, quality of life and mental health of substance users, and the biomedical effect of substance use. Emerging research landscapes include vulnerabilities of people who inject drugs to HIV transmission and related health problems. This study found a lack of research on health services, interdisciplinary and inter-sectoral in combination with clinical evaluation and treatment services. Future investment and implementation of HIV/AIDS and substance use programs should focus on research of health services and clinical evaluation, especially context-specific interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Negative attitudes and stigmatization of substance-using patients lead to treatment avoidance and poor physical and health outcomes. Research suggests that training in substance use disorders is a vital tool to abate negative attitudes among health workers. The present longitudinal study trained students and experienced practitioners from various disciplines on the evidence-based Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) model. The study found significant improvements in the attitudes of students--but not practitioners--who were trained during the program. The paper discusses policy and implementation implications to support and complement sustained impact of training on models such as SBIRT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cue reactivity to Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS) has been studied by several researchers, yet the variability in user types (smokers, former smokers, dual users, exclusive ENDS users) and ENDS designs used between the studies may have undermined consistent results. This systematic review aims to give an overview of ENDS cue reactivity and how smoking status and device design may moderate this. A systematic search of Medline, Embase, Web of Science, PubMed and Cochrane was completed. All studies which reported findings on reactivity to ENDS cues in the form of craving or desire for ENDS or cigarettes, attention to cue, delay of gratification or economic decisions were included. Exclusion criteria were non-human subjects, non-adult participants or participants with comorbidities. Literature selection was carried out by 2 independent reviewers. The risk of bias and study quality were assessed using tools developed by Cochrane, BMJ and NHLBI. A total of 711 papers were screened and 22 studies were included in the current review. Study design, research question(s), population of interest, number of participants, dependent variable(s), ENDS generation and nicotine content used and study results were extracted. ENDS cues reliably induced ENDS craving, with no clear moderation by smoking status and no apparent moderation by device generation. In about half of the studies, ENDS cues induced craving for conventional cigarettes. Most studies used a smoker sample, thus limiting the conclusions that can be drawn on the moderation of cue reactivity by smoking status. The quality varied among studies but comparing the findings against the outcomes of only high-quality studies did not yield any different results. The results of this review support the notion of cue reactivity to ENDS, identifies gaps in current research on different user types and implies that ENDS design iterations have little impact on cue reactivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Opioid use disorder (OUD) through prescription opioid misuse, heroin, and illicitly manufactured fentanyl use has increased dramatically in the past 20 years. Medications to treat opioid use disorder (MOUD) is considered the gold standard for treating opioid use disorders but uptake remains low. Recently, Madden has argued that in addition to the stigma assigned to substance use and people with SUD, MOUDs also are stigmatized, a process she labels intervention stigma to distinguish it from condition stigma (ie, stigma of SUD). In this paper, we examine MOUD related stigma from the perspective of people who use opioids (PWUO) and key informants who play some role in providing or referring people to drug treatment. Providers and PWOU often viewed MOUD as one drug replacing another which discouraged providers from recommending and PWUO from accepting MOUD. MOUD stigma was also expressed by providers' exaggerated fear of MOUD diversion. The extent to which MOUD was accepted as a legitimate treatment varied and influenced treatment providers' perceptions of the goals of drug treatment and the length of time that MOUD should be used with many feeling that MOUD should only be used as a temporary tool while PWOU work on other treatment goals. This led to tapering off of MOUD after some time in treatment. Some providers also expressed mistrust of MOUD stemming from their previous experiences with the over-prescription of opioids for pain which led to the current crisis. Results from this study suggest that the proportion of PWUO on MOUD is unlikely to increase without addressing MOUD stigma among drug treatment providers and PWUO seeking treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Substance use disorders (SUD) pose emotional, mental, and physical threats to persons worldwide. There is a paucity of research focused on capturing individual perspectives on supports and barriers to recovery from a SUD. This need has been identified in areas of Minnesota where a gap in evidence-based substance use support exists. A team of interdisciplinary professionals distributed a qualitative survey assessing supports and barriers to SUD recovery within recovery circles in order to inform the efforts of local organizations. This paper and online access survey was adapted from an existing survey created by Faces and Voices of Recovery. The online survey was accessed by a link and distributed to persons in recovery across Minnesota over 7 months. Data from this survey were analyzed through a consensual qualitative research (CQR) coding method. Notable themes emerged in the following domains: healthcare, environment, individual, and community. Community-wide stigma was an overarching concern, and the study yielded unique insights into stigma within healthcare and the community at-large. Barriers and support to recovery were reported. Barriers included experiencing high levels of stigma and identifying a need for community education on SUDs and recovery. Support included local recovery groups, peer recovery support, and access to healthcare and medication. Our findings illuminate the needs of the recovery community from the perspective of individuals with lived experience and will inform local organizations in specifying resources to help meet the identified needs. This survey may also be adapted and used around the world to inform substance use prevention, treatment, and recovery programing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]