1. Correlates of injection‐related wounds and skin infections amongst persons who inject drugs and use a syringe service programme: A single center study
- Author
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Hadar Lev-Tov, Hardik Patel, Irena Pastar, Brian A. Cahn, Tyler S. Bartholomew, and Hansel E. Tookes
- Subjects
Adult ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Psychological intervention ,HIV Infections ,Dermatology ,Skin infection ,Single Center ,Drug Users ,030207 dermatology & venereal diseases ,03 medical and health sciences ,Wound care ,0302 clinical medicine ,Effective interventions ,syringe service programmes ,injection drug use ,medicine ,Humans ,030212 general & internal medicine ,Skin Diseases, Infectious ,Substance Abuse, Intravenous ,Syringe ,High prevalence ,integumentary system ,business.industry ,Syringes ,Significant difference ,Original Articles ,medicine.disease ,Pharmaceutical Preparations ,Emergency medicine ,Surgery ,Original Article ,Female ,business ,cutaneous wounds - Abstract
Risk factors associated with wounds and skin infections amongst persons who inject drugs may have changed in the era of fentanyl and now stimulant coinjection. We assessed the number of injection site wounds and skin infections and associated factors amongst 675 persons who inject drugs in a syringe services programme. Of this sample, 173 participants reported a total of 307 wounds and skin infections. Significant factors associated with increased number of wounds and skin infections were age 30 or older, female gender, ever experiencing homelessness, cocaine injection, and injecting between 5 and 10 years. Wounds and skin infections were common amongst syringe services programme clients and are associated with certain risk factors that may help to design effective interventions. Given the high prevalence of wounds in syringe services programme clients, wound care clinicians can make a significant difference and improve outcomes. We also shed light on correlates of wounds and skin infections in persons who inject drugs in order to spur further research to devise efficacious interventions for this underserved group.
- Published
- 2021