Publications (2)3.64 Total impact
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Article: Longitudinal observation of a sample of German drug consumption facility clients.
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ABSTRACT: We aimed at investigating whether attendance of a drug consumption facility (DCF) was associated with both a reduction of drug-associated at-risk behavior and referral to the health care treatment system. A sample of 129 consecutive clients out of those 256 who self-referred to the DCF during the 13-month observation period (i.e., from November 2002 to December 2003) was interviewed both at baseline and at 1-, 2-, 3-, and 6-month follow-ups. Subjects were repeatedly assessed using a structured approach based on both the European Addiction Severity Index (EuropASI) and the Deutsche Gesellschaft fuer Suchtforschung und Therapie (DG-Sucht). Typical DCF clients were males, in their early 30s, single, with no vocational training, and with a long history of injectable opiate addiction in the context of polydrug misuse. A recent discharge from prison was recorded in 37% of cases. Median length of DCF attendance was of 5 weeks; 22% of clients attended for less than 1 week. Although with respect to the period previous to recruitment at-risk behavior rates remained unchanged, by the 3-month follow-up 13 (10%) clients out of those 129 who had initially enrolled had taken advantage of the DCF counseling opportunities. Some 37% of clients were referred on to start a methadone treatment following their DCF experience. DCF attendance was not associated with reduction in at-risk behavior over time, but a need was here identified for additional intervention to be available in the DCF to address clients' psychosocial issues. Limitations of the present study include both issues related to the representativeness of the sample of clients here recruited and the lack of a control/comparison group.Substance Use & Misuse 01/2010; 45(1-2):176-89. · 1.10 Impact Factor -
Article: Drug consumption facility as part of a primary health care centre for problem drug users - which clients are attracted?
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ABSTRACT: To investigate whether users of a drug consumption facility (DCF) established as part of a health care centre for problem drug users fulfilled entry criteria, especially public drug consumption, risky drug-application and housing problems. We also investigated whether the drug consumption facility attracted hard-to-reach opiate users who usually do not use the health care system. Structured interviews were carried out with 129 problem drug users beginning attendance at a drug consumption facility. Median length of the current episode of regular heroin use was 3 weeks. Sixty-seven per cent of clients had been in addiction specific treatment or had left prison during the previous 3 months. Regarding behaviour in the last month, 53% reported drug use in public, 53% use of non-sterile equipment or water, 22% needle sharing, 8% reported an emergency admission to hospital, and 43% were living in unstable accommodation. Only 10% of clients had never received treatment for their drug use and 87% were currently in contact with psychosocial services. The majority of clients were chronic opiate users with high rates of risk behaviour. However, they did have recent contact with the drug treatment system. DCFs may be particularly important for opiate users after prison or treatment and/or for those with unstable accommodation.The International journal on drug policy 04/2009; 20(5):447-9. · 2.54 Impact Factor
