Barriers and Facilitators to Hepatitis B Vaccination Among Sex Workers in Vancouver, Canada: Implications for Integrated HIV, STI, and Viral Hepatitis Services

Objectives Sex workers (SWs) face an increased burden of sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections, yet little is known regarding hepatitis B virus (HBV) prevention and care. This study was performed to characterize cross-sectional and prospective correlates of HBV vaccination among SWs in Vancouver.   Methods Questionnaire data were drawn from a community-based cohort of SWs (2010–2017). Multivariable logistic regression was used to examine correlates of lifetime self-reported HBV vaccination. Multivariable generalized estimating equation (GEE) regression was used to assess correlates of recent vaccination.   Results Among 855 participants, 68.3% reported lifetime HBV vaccination. Multivariable logistic regression showed that im/migrants (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) 0.50, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.32–0.78) had lower odds of vaccination and that those using injection drugs (AOR 1.88, 95% CI 1.27– 2.78) and those who had undergone HIV testing (AOR 1.94, 95% CI 1.14–3.29) had higher odds of vaccination. In the multivariable GEE analysis, HIV seropositivity (AOR 1.93, 95% CI 1.26–2.97) and recent STI testing (AOR 2.95, 95% CI 1.99–4.39) correlated with recent HBV vaccination.   Conclusions Im/migrant SWs from HBV-endemic settings appear to face gaps in HBV prevention. Evidence-based interventions addressing gaps in voluntary HBV prevention and care are needed, including community-based and culturally safe services. Injection drug use and HIV testing were linked to enhanced vaccination, suggesting that harm reduction and HIV programmes may facilitate linkage to HBV prevention

Improving hospital care for patients who use illicit drugs in Vancouver, Canada

Background: People who use illicit drugs (PWUD) experience a number of health-related harms that often lead to frequent hospitalizations. However, there exists little scientific evidence that has explored utilization and retention in hospital care, including leaving hospital against medical advice (AMA), among this population. The objective of this thesis is to provide evidence to improve hospital care for PWUD by first, identifying individual and contextual factors associated with leaving hospital AMA and other hospital-related experiences; and, second, to use these findings to develop and evaluate novel approaches to minimizing the risks and harms that PWUD experience in hospital settings. Methods: This dissertation draws on data collected from two open prospective cohort studies of HIV-positive and HIV-negative PWUD in Vancouver, Canada. These data were confidentially linked to a hospital discharge database as well as comprehensive records of HIV treatment and related clinical outcomes through a clinical monitoring laboratory. A variety of longitudinal and cross-sectional analytic techniques were used to examine the impact of intersecting individual and contextual factors on various hospital service outcomes. Results: This dissertation identified hospitals as a risk environment for PWUD, given the high prevalence of hospital discharge AMA and active illicit drug use in hospitals. The study findings highlighted various risk and protective factors for leaving hospital AMA, and discussed the negative consequences of being denied pain medication on illicit drug use in hospitals. The findings from this dissertation also point to novel strategies that may address these issues, including the implementation of an adult HIV/AIDS integrated health program operating in proximity to a hospital to minimize hospital discharge AMA among HIV-positive PWUD, as well as the potential for an in-hospital supervised injection facility (SIF) to reduce the harms associated with illicit drug use in hospital. Conclusion: Despite this setting of universal access to healthcare, there are individual- and contextual-level factors that play a pivotal role in shaping utilization and retention in hospital care among PWUD. The collective findings of this dissertation offer insights into how integrated harm reduction-based interventions may mitigate the risks associated with leaving hospital AMA and active illicit drug use in hospitals.Medicine, Faculty ofPopulation and Public Health (SPPH), School ofGraduat

The impact of harm reduction on HIV and illicit drug use

There has been widespread support for harm reduction programs as an essential component for responding to the HIV and illicit drug use epidemics. However, despite the growing international acceptance of harm reduction, there continues to be strong opposition to this approach, with critics alleging that harm reduction programs enable drug use. Vancouver, Canada provides a compelling case study that demonstrates that many positive impacts of harm reduction can be attained while addiction treatment-related goals are simultaneously supported. While the evidence for harm reduction is clearly mounting, it is unfortunate that ideological and political barriers to implementing harm reduction programs in Canada remain. As evidenced by Vancouver and elsewhere, harm reduction programs do not exacerbate drug use and undermine treatment efforts and should thereby occupy a well-deserved space within the continuum of programs and services offered to people who inject drugs.Medicine, Department ofPopulation and Public Health (SPPH), School ofMedicine, Faculty ofReviewedFacult

Task shifting redefined: removing social and structural barriers to improve delivery of HIV services for people who inject drugs

HIV infection among people who inject drugs (IDU) remains a major global public health challenge. However, among IDU, access to essential HIV-related services remains unacceptably low, especially in settings where stigma, discrimination, and criminalization exist. These ongoing problems account for a significant amount of preventable morbidity and mortality within this population, and indicate the need for novel approaches to HIV program delivery for IDU. Task shifting is a concept that has been applied successfully in African settings as a way to address health worker shortages. However, to date, this concept has not been applied as a means of addressing the social and structural barriers to HIV prevention and treatment experienced by IDU. Given the growing evidence demonstrating the effectiveness of IDU-run programs in increasing access to healthcare, the time has come to extend the notion of task shifting and apply it in settings where stigma, discrimination, and criminalization continue to pose significant barriers to HIV program access for IDU. By involving IDU more directly in the delivery of HIV programs, task shifting may serve to foster a new era in the response to HIV/AIDS among IDU.Medicine, Department ofMedicine, Faculty ofOther UBCNon UBCReviewedFacult

Engaging people who use drugs in policy and program development: A review of the literature

Abstract Health policies and programs are increasingly being driven by people from the community to more effectively address their needs. While a large body of evidence supports peer engagement in the context of policy and program development for various populations, little is known about this form of engagement among people who use drugs (PWUD). Therefore, a narrative literature review was undertaken to provide an overview of this topic. Searches of PubMed and Academic Search Premier databases covering 1995–2010 were conducted to identify articles assessing peer engagement in policy and program development. In total, 19 articles were included for review. Our findings indicate that PWUD face many challenges that restrict their ability to engage with public health professionals and policy makers, including the high levels of stigma and discrimination that persist among this population. Although the literature shows that many international organizations are recommending the involvement of PWUD in policy and program development, our findings revealed a lack of published data on the implementation of these efforts. Gaps in the current evidence highlight the need for additional research to explore and document the engagement of PWUD in the areas of policy and program development. Further, efforts to minimize stigmatizing barriers associated with illicit drug use are urgently needed to improve the engagement of PWUD in decision making processes.</p

Hepatitis C virus infection and hospital-related outcomes: a systematic review protocol

International audienceIntroduction: People living with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection are disproportionately over-represented in the healthcare system due to various individual and contextual circumstances, including comorbidities and socioeconomic marginalisation. With growing trends in morbidity and mortality related to HCV infection, HCV is becoming a significant health and financial burden on the healthcare system, particularly in acute hospital settings. It is noteworthy that with the advent of direct-acting antiviral therapy the increasing number of patients who are cured of HCV could potentially result in different patterns of hospital-related outcomes over time.Methods and analysis: We will conduct a systematic review of published literature to retrieve quantitative research articles pertaining to hospital outcomes among patients living with HCV. Primary outcomes include hospitalisation rates, length of stay, leaving against medical advice, readmission and in-hospital mortality. In total, five databases will be searched (MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, PsycINFO and Web of Science). Titles, abstracts and full texts will be independently reviewed by two investigators in three separate stages. The methodological quality of included quantitative research studies will be assessed using a validated tool. Data from included articles will be extracted using a standardised form and synthesised in a narrative account.Ethics and dissemination: Results of this systematic review could provide a better understanding on how to optimise health systems and services to improve patient outcomes and care. The results of this study may provide future research with a foundation to guide decision-making and for designing and implementing systems-level interventions to improve treatment and care delivery for people living with HCV. Ethical approval for this study was received by the University of British Columbia/Providence Health Care Research Ethics Board. Findings from this study will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications, presentations, reports and community forums PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42017081082; Pre-results

“Everybody living with a chronic disease is entitled to be cured” : Challenges and opportunities in scaling up access to direct-acting antiviral hepatitis C virus treatment among people who inject drugs

Background: Recent advances in the safety, tolerability, and efficacy of hepatitis C virus (HCV) treatments have led to the introduction of policy changes that include, in some settings, universal coverage of direct-acting antiviral (DAA) treatment for people living with HCV. However, people who inject drugs (PWID), a population with disproportionately high rates of HCV, often experience significant social and structural barriers to care, including when seeking treatment and care for blood-borne viruses. The objective of this study is to identify implementation challenges and opportunities for improving HCV-related care and scaling up DAA treatment for PWID living with HCV in a setting with universal DAA coverage since 2018. Methods: Informed by a critical interpretive framework, this study thematically analyzes data from in-depth, semi-structured interviews conducted between October 2018 and February 2019 with a purposive sample of 15 expert stakeholders (e.g., clinicians, community-based organization representatives, policy makers) related to HCV care provision, design, or research in British Columbia, Canada. Results: Our analysis revealed two key thematics: First, participants described existing challenges for scaling up DAA treatment, including how contextual factors (e.g., housing, stigma) restrict opportunities for PWID to engage in care. Participants also described how strained and compartmentalized health services are onerous to navigate for patients. Second, participants described opportunities for improving HCV-related care through various structural interventions (e.g., improved housing, decriminalization of substance use), and enhanced and more accessible models of care (e.g., decentralized, integrated, outreach-focused, and peer- and nurse-led services). Conclusions: These findings emphasize that several key service delivery and system-level adaptations are required in order to equitably scale up access of DAAs to PWID living with HCV, including policies and programs that are responsive to socio-structural determinants of health.Applied Science, Faculty ofMedicine, Faculty ofNon UBCMedicine, Department ofNursing, School ofPopulation and Public Health (SPPH), School ofReviewedFacultyGraduat