week 5

James C. McGoogan

Grand Canyon University: PCN 527

October 25, 2016

Annotated Bibliography

Shoptaw, S. (2013). HIV prevention for people who use substances: Evidence-based

strategies. Journal of Food and Drug Analysis, 21(Supplement), S91-S94.

doi:10.1016/j.jfda.2013.09.042

Summary

Prevention is one of the most effective ways of reducing HIV prevalence rates among substance users. In that connection, Shoptaw (2013) discusses the evidence-based strategies that can be utilized guide human immunodeficiency virus prevention for individuals who utilize substances. Such strategies include methods that reduce infections substances among drug users who live with HIV.

The article is going to enrich the research by providing an insight into ways of preventing HIV infections among drug users who share needles. In particular, the article proposes the use of evidence-based practices that are proven to be effective. It also provides ways of deterring infections among substance abusers who live with HIV and among individuals who are not yet infected.

Rosińska, M., Sierosławski, J., &Wiessing, L. (2015). High regional variability of HIV,

HCV and injecting risks among people who inject drugs in Poland: comparing a

cross-sectional bio-behavioural study with case-based surveillance. BMC Infectious

Diseases, 15(1), 1-11. doi:10.1186/s12879-015-0828-9

Summary

In the above article, Rosinska et al. (2015) argue that individuals who share injection needles run the risk of HIV injections and other diseases. They state that there are proofs that the degree of the challenge and geographical variations is absent. Thus, the researchers observe that regional and geographical factors also explain variations in infections.

Based on the above article, it is clear that certain areas need prioritizations in HIV-related interventions than others based on the degree of prevalence. In addition, the article is important for creating awareness on the increased need for preventive measures. These issues point to the need of taking stronger investments in risk reduction initiatives in target areas.

Volkow, N. D., & Montaner, J. (2011). The urgency of providing comprehensive and

integrated treatment for substance abusers with HIV. Health Affairs, 30(8), 1411-

1419.

Substance abuse is associated with increasing cases of HIV infection. This fatc is well articulated by Volkow and Montaner (2011) in an article titled The urgency of providing comprehensive and integrated treatment for substance abusers with HIV . The authors observe that impediments such as the myths that drug abusers are not disciplined enough to stick to HIV/AIDS treatment hampers progress in curbing the spread of HIV within this special group of people.

Volkow and Montaner’s work provides a new insight into the causes of slow progress in curbing HIV/AIDS prevention among drug users. For instance, the article suggests the need for behavioral change as a way to curb HIV among this population. This idea shows its relevance to the research topic.

Spector, A. Y., & Remien, R. H. (2015). Delivery of Behavioral HIV Prevention Services in

New York City Outpatient Substance Abuse Treatment Clinics: Providers'

Perspectives on Opportunities and Challenges. AIDS Education and

Prevention, 27(1), 1.

One of the most important strategies towards preventing the speedy spread of HIV among drug users is embarking on behavior change. As Spector and Remien (2015) suggest in this article, those who offer counseling services stand the chance of effectively tackling this problem among drug users. The authors further identify the barriers to HIV prevention, such as failure by physicians and psychologists to openly discuss ways of preventing this problem.

The above article is relevant to the research topic since it identifies positive directions that can taken by providers to curb HIV among substance users who share needles. It also mentions barriers and prospects of the efforts that have been made to deter its spread. Most significantly, the authors recommend behavioral change as the most effective strategy.

Ahmed, T., Long, T. N., Huong, P. T., & Stewart, D. E. (2015). Drug injecting and HIV risk

among injecting drug users in Hai Phong, Vietnam: a qualitative analysis. BMC

public health, 15(1), 1.

In an article titled Drug injecting and HIV risk among injecting drug users in Hai Phong, Vietnam: a qualitative analysis, Ahned et al. (2015) raise concerns that there is high prevalence of HIV among Injecting Drug Users (IDU). Moreover, the authors note that high degree of drug an sex-associated risk behaviors are high among young populations who are IDUs. Therefore, the researchers’ qualitative study offers a deeper insight into understanding of HIV risk traits.

The above article is important to the research topic since it points out specific groups of drug users who run the risk of HIV infection. In addition, it also provides a pattern of spread of HIV among injecting drug users. This research work can be utilized to understand the views and experiences of IDUs in connection to drug injecting and sharing practices.

Pasa, M. K., Alom, K. R., Bashri, Z., & Vermund, S. H. (2016). Sharing of Needles and

Syringes among Men Who Inject Drugs: HIV Risk in Northwest Bangladesh. PloS

one, 11(2), e0148276.

In this scholarly work, Pasa et al. (2016) investigate the context of needle or syringe sharing among individuals who inject drugs. To attain this objective, the researchers examine the risk exposures to blood-borne infections such as the human immunodeficiency syndrome virus (HIV). Their findings suggest that needle/syringe-sharing habits are integrated into the entire social and cultural lifestyles of drug users.

Based on these findings, researchers can look into the culture and lifestyle of drug users that incline them towards risky behaviors such as needle-sharing. Therefore, this article provides an insight into ways of approaching the challenging task of preventing HIV spread among drug users who share needles in Georgia. This can be done by having a clear understanding of the social and cultural norms of Injecting Drug Users (IDUs) in the region.

References

Ahmed, T., Long, T. N., Huong, P. T., & Stewart, D. E. (2015). Drug injecting and HIV risk

among injecting drug users in Hai Phong, Vietnam: a qualitative analysis. BMC

public health, 15(1), 1.

Pasa, M. K., Alom, K. R., Bashri, Z., & Vermund, S. H. (2016). Sharing of Needles and

Syringes among Men Who Inject Drugs: HIV Risk in Northwest Bangladesh. PloS

one, 11(2), e0148276.

Rosińska, M., Sierosławski, J., &Wiessing, L. (2015). High regional variability of HIV,

HCV and injecting risks among people who inject drugs in Poland: comparing a

cross-sectional bio-behavioural study with case-based surveillance. BMC Infectious

Diseases, 15(1), 1-11. doi:10.1186/s12879-015-0828-9

Shoptaw, S. (2013). HIV prevention for people who use substances: Evidence-based

strategies. Journal of Food and Drug Analysis, 21(Supplement), S91-S94.

doi:10.1016/j.jfda.2013.09.042

Spector, A. Y., & Remien, R. H. (2015). Delivery of Behavioral HIV Prevention Services in

New York City Outpatient Substance Abuse Treatment Clinics: Providers'

Perspectives on Opportunities and Challenges. AIDS Education and

Prevention, 27(1), 1.

Volkow, N. D., & Montaner, J. (2011). The urgency of providing comprehensive and

integrated treatment for substance abusers with HIV. Health Affairs, 30(8), 1411-

1419.