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A community‐based study of abscess self‐treatment and barriers to medical care among people who inject drugs in the United States.
- Source :
- Health & Social Care in the Community; Sep2022, Vol. 30 Issue 5, p1798-1808, 11p, 1 Diagram, 3 Charts
- Publication Year :
- 2022
-
Abstract
- Skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs) are the most common medical complication of injection drug use in the United States, though little work has been done assessing SSTI treatment among people who inject drugs (PWID). We examined past‐3‐month abscess characteristics, treatment utilization, and barriers to medical treatment among N = 494 community‐recruited PWID. We used descriptive statistics to determine the frequencies of self‐treatment and medical treatment for their most recent past‐3‐month abscess as well as barriers to seeking medical treatment. We then used bivariate and multivariate logistic regression to identify factors associated with having an abscess in the past 3 months. Overall, 67% of participating PWID ever had an abscess and 23% had one in the past 3 months. Only 29% got medical treatment for their most recent abscess whereas 79% self‐treated. Methods for self‐treatment included pressing the pus out (81%), applying a hot compress (79%), and applying hydrogen peroxide (67%). Most (91%) self‐treated abscesses healed without further intervention. Barriers to medical treatment included long wait times (56%), being afraid to go (49%), and not wanting to be identified as a PWID (46%). Factors associated independently with having an abscess in the past 3 months were injecting purposely into muscle tissue (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 2.64), having difficulty finding a vein (AOR = 2.08), and sharing injection preparation equipment (AOR = 1.74). Our findings emphasize the importance of expanding community‐based access to SSTI education and treatment services, particularly at syringe service programs where PWID may be more comfortable seeking resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Subjects :
- STATISTICS
MEDICAL quality control
RACISM
NEEDLE exchange programs
SOFT tissue infections
INTRAVENOUS drug abusers
ABSCESSES
INTRAVENOUS drug abuse
INDEPENDENT variables
MULTIPLE regression analysis
DISCRIMINATION (Sociology)
T-test (Statistics)
SURVEYS
DESCRIPTIVE statistics
CHI-squared test
PSYCHOSOCIAL factors
DATA analysis software
HEALTH self-care
DISEASE complications
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 09660410
- Volume :
- 30
- Issue :
- 5
- Database :
- Complementary Index
- Journal :
- Health & Social Care in the Community
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 158479989
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1111/hsc.13559