Is use of opioid agonist treatment associated with broader primary healthcare use among men with recent injecting drug use histories following release from prison? A prospective cohort study

Original research
by
Curtis, Michael et al

Release Date

2023

Geography

Australia

Language of Resource

English

Full Text Available

Yes

Open Access / OK to Reproduce

Yes

Peer Reviewed

Yes

Objective

In Victoria, Australia, opioid agonist treatment (OAT) in the community involves frequent contact with primary care, potentially facilitating broader use of primary healthcare services. Among a cohort of men who injected drugs regularly pre-imprisonment, we estimated differences in rates of primary healthcare use and medication dispensation between people who did and did not receive OAT post-release.

Findings/Key points

We observed higher rates of primary healthcare use and medication dispensation among people who reported partial and complete OAT use post-release

Design/methods

Data from the Prison and Transition Health Cohort Study (n=255).

Keywords

Substitution/OAT
Wrap-around services
About PWUD
Legal system/law enforcement