Estimating the number of people who inject drugs in Australia.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Injecting drug use is associated with considerable morbidity and mortality. Estimates of the size of the population of people who inject drugs are critical to inform service planning and estimate disease burden due to injecting drug use. We aimed to estimate the size of the population of people who inject drugs in Australia.

Methods

We applied a multiplier method which used benchmark data (number of people in opioid substitution therapy (OST) on a snapshot day in 2014) and multiplied it by a factor derived from the prevalence of current OST among people who inject drugs participating in the Australian Needle and Syringe Program Survey in 2014. Estimates of the total population of people who inject drugs were calculated in each state and territory and summed to pro

SUBMITTER: Larney S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5622458 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature