Antiretroviral Therapy Engagement Among Injection Drug Users
Summary
Injection drug users represent one of the most vulnerable populations in the global fight against HIV. Engagement with antiretroviral therapy (ART) involves a continuum from diagnosis and linkage to care, through initiation of treatment, sustained adherence and retention in services, to achievement of viral suppression. This continuum is frequently disrupted by social, structural and individual factors including unstable housing, incarceration, stigma, co-occurring mental health conditions and fluctuating patterns of drug use. Integrated care models and harm-reduction strategies have demonstrated the potential to address these barriers by combining substance use treatment, psychosocial support and flexible ART delivery. Recent advances underscore the importance of tailored interventions that acknowledge structural vulnerability and foster agency to sustain long-term treatment engagement and reduce onward transmission.
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Antiretroviral Therapy Engagement Among Injection Drug Users publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in antiretroviral therapy engagement among injection drug users across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Antiretroviral therapy (ART): A combination of medicines used to suppress HIV replication and restore immune function.
Retention in care: Continuous engagement with health-care services after initial linkage and treatment initiation.
Viral suppression: Reduction of HIV RNA in blood to undetectable levels, minimising disease progression and transmission risk.
Motivational interviewing: A counselling technique that enhances intrinsic motivation by exploring and resolving ambivalence.
Structural vulnerability: The risk created by socio-economic and environmental factors that limit individuals’ capacity to access or adhere to health care.
References
- Acceptability of a pilot motivational interviewing intervention at public health facilities to improve the HIV treatment cascade among people who inject drugs in Indonesia. Harm Reduction Journal (2024).
- Evaluating the Integrated Methadone and Anti-Retroviral Therapy Strategy in Tanzania Using the RE-AIM Framework. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (2019).
- A qualitative investigation of HIV treatment dispensing models and impacts on adherence among people living with HIV who use drugs. PLOS ONE (2021).
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