Article de Périodique
Syringe prescription to prevent HIV infection in Rhode Island : a case study (2001)
(Délivrance de seringues pour prévenir l'infection VIH à Rhode Island : une étude de cas)
Auteur(s) :
J. D. RICH ;
G. E. MACALINO ;
McKENSIE M. ;
L. E. TAYLOR ;
S. BURRIS
Article en page(s) :
699-700
Refs biblio. :
1
Domaine :
Drogues illicites / Illicit drugs
Langue(s) :
Anglais
Discipline :
MAL (Maladies infectieuses / Infectious diseases)
Thésaurus mots-clés
SERINGUE
;
REDUCTION DES RISQUES ET DES DOMMAGES
;
MEDECIN GENERALISTE
;
PRESCRIPTION MEDICALE
Thésaurus géographique
ETATS-UNIS
Résumé :
ENGLISH :
Injection drug users (IDUs) are a population at high risk for many diseases, including AIDS, and are clearly in need of medical and sub- stance abuse treatment. Access to sterile syringes is critical for lowering the risk of transmission of HIV and other blood-borne pathogens among IDUs. Previously tried strategies include needle exchange programs and changing laws to allow the legal purchase and possession of syringes. An alternative strategy is to have physicians prescribe syringes to IDUs. To the best of our knowledge, this has previously been tried by only a few physicians in rare situations and never on a programmatic basis. This report describes the genesis of physician's syringe prescription in Rhode Island and some of the lessons learned to date. Because of the illicit nature of drug use, a tremendous amount of mistrust and fear on the part of IDUs often leads to poor interaction with the medical establishment. Prescription of syringes by a physician can serve as a tool for reaching out to a high-risk and often out-of-treatment population of drug users. It is a way for the health care community to tap into drug-using networks and bring those populations into a medical care system. (Author' s abstract)
ENGLISH :
Injection drug users (IDUs) are a population at high risk for many diseases, including AIDS, and are clearly in need of medical and sub- stance abuse treatment. Access to sterile syringes is critical for lowering the risk of transmission of HIV and other blood-borne pathogens among IDUs. Previously tried strategies include needle exchange programs and changing laws to allow the legal purchase and possession of syringes. An alternative strategy is to have physicians prescribe syringes to IDUs. To the best of our knowledge, this has previously been tried by only a few physicians in rare situations and never on a programmatic basis. This report describes the genesis of physician's syringe prescription in Rhode Island and some of the lessons learned to date. Because of the illicit nature of drug use, a tremendous amount of mistrust and fear on the part of IDUs often leads to poor interaction with the medical establishment. Prescription of syringes by a physician can serve as a tool for reaching out to a high-risk and often out-of-treatment population of drug users. It is a way for the health care community to tap into drug-using networks and bring those populations into a medical care system. (Author' s abstract)
Affiliation :
Etats-Unis. United States.