Consumer participation in drug treatment: a systematic review

Abstract

It is unclear how consumer participation (CP) can be optimised to transform drug and alcohol treatment services and improve health outcomes. This paper presents the findings of a systematic review examining the types and benefits of activities, and the factors that facilitate CP in drug treatment services. Design A structured search of four databases was undertaken to identify peer reviewed primary research literature in English. Screened articles were appraised. A content analysis was applied to examine the types and outcomes of CP and the associated factors affecting the process. Sixteen articles were included for review. Findings A range of CP activities were identified, and benefits included increased consumer satisfaction, and improved health service delivery. Factors that facilitated the process of CP included positive attitudes of both consumers and providers and employment of people with a lived experience of drug use. However, the lack of consumer and organisational capacity, negative attitudes of providers and power imbalances between consumers and providers constrained CP efforts.

“An Emotional Roller-Coaster:" Stressors Faced by Peer Workers in Overdose Response Settings

“…Our ndings are consistent with several studies which have shown that experiential workers are not always accepted and respected in the workplace due to their history of substance use [32,33,65,66]. Some studies have also reported that support workers without lived experience of substance use have negative attitudes towards experiential workers, rooted in stereotypes and stigma towards PWUD [31][32][33]65]. These negative attitudes are apparent in the terminology used by support workers to de ne experiential workers, including "unstable," "manipulative," "untrustworthy," and "lacking capacity to participate" [31][32][33]65].…”

“…This explains why 40% of the survey participants listed "work situation, including working conditions" as one of their top three stressors. Our ndings are consistent with several studies which have shown that experiential workers are not always accepted and respected in the workplace due to their history of substance use [32,33,65,66]. Some studies have also reported that support workers without lived experience of substance use have negative attitudes towards experiential workers, rooted in stereotypes and stigma towards PWUD [31][32][33]65].…”

“…Some studies have also reported that support workers without lived experience of substance use have negative attitudes towards experiential workers, rooted in stereotypes and stigma towards PWUD [31][32][33]65]. These negative attitudes are apparent in the terminology used by support workers to de ne experiential workers, including "unstable," "manipulative," "untrustworthy," and "lacking capacity to participate" [31][32][33]65]. The negative attitudes lead to othering of experiential workers who are relegated to menial labour, excluded from bene t programs, and shirked of professional development opportunities [34].…”

“…Several studies have found that individuals without lived or living experience of substance use often have negative attitudes towards PWUD [31][32][33]. These stigmatizing attitudes permeate into workplaces and lead to inequity and differential treatment of experiential workers.…”

Building healthcare provider relationships for patient-centered care: A qualitative study of the experiences of people receiving injectable opioid agonist treatment

“…However, feeling a part of treatment decisions also strengthened their relationships. These findings have been illuminated elsewhere [55,56,59]. For example, Ness et al [55] found that participant experiences collaborating with practitioners required "not being judged".…”