Access to health and social services for IDU: The impact of a medically supervised injection facility

Introduction and Aims. Injection drug users (IDU) often experience barriers to conventional health‐care services, and consequently might rely on acute and emergency services. This study sought to investigate IDU perspectives regarding the impact of supervised injection facility (SIF) use on access to health‐care services. Design and Methods. Semi‐structured qualitative interviews were conducted with 50 Vancouver‐based IDU participating in the Scientific Evaluation of Supervised Injecting cohort. Audio‐recorded interviews elicited IDU perspectives regarding the impact of SIF use on access to health and social services. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and a thematic analysis was conducted. Results. Fifty IDU, including 21 women, participated in this study. IDU narratives indicate that the SIF serves to facilitate access to health care by providing much‐needed care on‐site and connects IDU to external services through referrals. Participants’ perspectives suggest that the SIF has facilitated increased uptake of health and social services among IDU. Discussion and Conclusions. Although challenges related to access to care remain in many settings, SIF have potential to promote health by facilitating enhanced access to health‐care and social services through a model of care that is accessible to high‐risk IDU.[Small W, Van Borek N, Fairbairn N, Wood E, Kerr T. Access to health and social services for IDU: The impact of a medically supervised injection facility. Drug Alcohol Rev 2009;28:341–346]