Unequal access to opioid agonist treatment and sterile injecting equipment among hospitalized patients with injection drug use-associated infective endocarditis.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Addiction treatment and harm reduction services reduce risks of death and re-infection among patients with injection drug use-associated infective endocarditis (IDU-IE), but these are not offered at many hospitals. Among hospitalized patients with IDU-IE at the two tertiary-care hospitals in the Canadian Maritimes, we aimed to identify (1) the availability of opioid agonist treatment (OAT) and sterile drug injecting equipment, and (2) indicators of potential unmet addiction care needs.

Methods

Retrospective review of IDU-IE hospitalizations at Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre (Halifax, Nova Scotia) and the Saint John Regional Hospital (Saint John, New Brunswick), October 2015 -March 2017. In Halifax, there are no addiction medicine providers on staff; in

SUBMITTER: Brothers TD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8791472 | biostudies-literature | 2022

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature