Increased HIV testing in people who use drugs hospitalized in the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic

People who use drugs (PWUD) often experience barriers to preventative health care. During the COVID-19 pandemic, due to lapses in harm reduction services, several public health experts forecasted subsequent increases in diagnosis of HIV in PWUD. As many inpatient hospitals reworked patient flow during the COVID-19 surge, we hypothesized that HIV testing in PWUD would decrease. To answer this question, we compiled a deidentified list of hospitalized patients with electronic medical record indicators of substance use —a positive urine toxicology screen, prescribed medications to treat opioid use disorder, a positive CIWA score, or a positive CAGE score—admitted between January 2020 and August 2020.

Source: Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment - January 5, 2021 Category: Addiction Authors: Julia Zubiago, Meghan Murphy, Rubeen Guardado, Denise Daudelin, Dustin Patil, Alysse Wurcel Source Type: research