Perceived discrimination and injecting risk among people who inject drugs attending Needle and Syringe Programmes in Sydney, Australia

Elimination of HCV as a public health concern among people who inject drugs by 2030 – What will it take to get there?

“…Access to good quality healthcare should be a basic human right for any person, irrespective of whether they use drugs. In other settings, a lack of engagement in health services can stem from stigma and discrimination experienced from past encounters with the health system [103][104][105][106][107][108][109][110]. In one study from Thailand, 26% of PWID reported avoiding health services, with factors associated with avoidance of healthcare including experience of verbal abuse, having been refused medical care, and having experienced previous barriers to accessing health care [105].…”

Community pharmacist experiences of providing needle and syringe programmes in Ireland

“…[35][36][37] Recent systematic reviews have underscored the general positive attitude to providing harm reduction advice in pharmacies, with common barriers centring on lack of time and specific training, fear of attracting difficult service users, insufficient remuneration, and difficulties in communicating with adjunct health providers. 2 Of note for this pilot programme going forward, and building on the goodwill and positive attitude toward providing NSP, is that service user perceptions of negative staff attitudes and experiences of discrimination have been associated with increased risk of needle sharing activities 38 and the impact of needle and syringe exchange services on BBV infection may be greater where clients engage in other health interventions in addition to needle exchange. 39 Equally, the attitudes of pharmacy staff towards service provision may improve with training 11,16,35 and with increased experience of providing services.…”

Responding to a national policy need: development of a stigma indicator for bloodborne viruses and sexually transmissible infections

“…Whether a person anticipates, perceives or experiences stigma and discrimination, this can result in harmful effects on their quality of life, relationships and healthcare utilisation 20,21 . Common adverse outcomes include stress, shame, depression, isolation, maladaptive coping, poor emotional regulation and increased risk taking 22–26 . Stigmatised individuals are also less likely to disclose health conditions (in both healthcare and interpersonal contexts), more likely to avoid healthcare consultations, and less likely to adhere to treatment, thereby reducing treatment effectiveness 26–29 .…”