“Maybe if I stop the drugs, then maybe they’d care?”—hospital care experiences of people who use drugs

Abstract Background Drug use is associated with increased morbidity and mortality but people who use drugs experience significant barriers to care. Data are needed about the care experiences of people who use drugs to inform interventions and quality improvement initiatives. The objective of this st...

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Main Authors:	Soo Chan Carusone, Adrian Guta, Samantha Robinson, Darrell H. Tan, Curtis Cooper, Bill O’Leary, Karen de Prinse, Grant Cobb, Ross Upshur, Carol Strike
Format:	Article
Language:	English
Published:	BMC 2019-02-01
Series:	Harm Reduction Journal
Subjects:	Drug use Hospital care Qualitative research Stigma Patient experience
Online Access:	http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12954-019-0285-7

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spelling	doaj-2ce369ab7b534aeb806dbcbf7bbf45e02020-11-25T02:10:05ZengBMCHarm Reduction Journal1477-75172019-02-0116111010.1186/s12954-019-0285-7“Maybe if I stop the drugs, then maybe they’d care?”—hospital care experiences of people who use drugsSoo Chan Carusone0Adrian Guta1Samantha Robinson2Darrell H. Tan3Curtis Cooper4Bill O’Leary5Karen de Prinse6Grant Cobb7Ross Upshur8Carol Strike9Casey HouseSchool of Social Work, University of WindsorDalla Lana School of Public Health, University of TorontoSt. Michael’s HospitalOttawa Hospital Research InstituteCasey HouseCasey HouseAIDS Committee of OttawaDalla Lana School of Public Health, University of TorontoDalla Lana School of Public Health, University of TorontoAbstract Background Drug use is associated with increased morbidity and mortality but people who use drugs experience significant barriers to care. Data are needed about the care experiences of people who use drugs to inform interventions and quality improvement initiatives. The objective of this study is to describe and characterize the experience of acute care for people who use drugs. Methods We conducted a qualitative descriptive study. We recruited people with a history of active drug use at the time of an admission to an acute care hospital, who were living with HIV or hepatitis C, in Toronto and Ottawa, Canada. Data were collected in 2014 and 2015 through semi-structured interviews, audio-recorded and transcribed, and analyzed thematically. Results Twenty-four adults (18 men, 6 women) participated. Participants predominantly recounted experiences of stigma and challenges accessing care. We present the identified themes in two overarching domains of interest: perceived effect of drug use on hospital care and impact of care experiences on future healthcare interactions. Participants described significant barriers to pain management, often resulting in inconsistent and inadequate pain management. They described various strategies to navigate access and receipt of healthcare from being “an easy patient” to self-advocacy. Negative experiences influenced their willingness to seek care, often resulting in delayed care seeking and targeting of certain hospitals. Conclusion Drug use was experienced as a barrier at all stages of hospital care. Interventions to decrease stigma and improve our consistency and approach to pain management are necessary to improve the quality of care and care experiences of those who use drugs.http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12954-019-0285-7Drug useHospital careQualitative researchStigmaPatient experience
collection	DOAJ
language	English
format	Article
sources	DOAJ
author	Soo Chan Carusone Adrian Guta Samantha Robinson Darrell H. Tan Curtis Cooper Bill O’Leary Karen de Prinse Grant Cobb Ross Upshur Carol Strike
spellingShingle	Soo Chan Carusone Adrian Guta Samantha Robinson Darrell H. Tan Curtis Cooper Bill O’Leary Karen de Prinse Grant Cobb Ross Upshur Carol Strike “Maybe if I stop the drugs, then maybe they’d care?”—hospital care experiences of people who use drugs Harm Reduction Journal Drug use Hospital care Qualitative research Stigma Patient experience
author_facet	Soo Chan Carusone Adrian Guta Samantha Robinson Darrell H. Tan Curtis Cooper Bill O’Leary Karen de Prinse Grant Cobb Ross Upshur Carol Strike
author_sort	Soo Chan Carusone
title	“Maybe if I stop the drugs, then maybe they’d care?”—hospital care experiences of people who use drugs
title_short	“Maybe if I stop the drugs, then maybe they’d care?”—hospital care experiences of people who use drugs
title_full	“Maybe if I stop the drugs, then maybe they’d care?”—hospital care experiences of people who use drugs
title_fullStr	“Maybe if I stop the drugs, then maybe they’d care?”—hospital care experiences of people who use drugs
title_full_unstemmed	“Maybe if I stop the drugs, then maybe they’d care?”—hospital care experiences of people who use drugs
title_sort	“maybe if i stop the drugs, then maybe they’d care?”—hospital care experiences of people who use drugs
publisher	BMC
series	Harm Reduction Journal
issn	1477-7517
publishDate	2019-02-01
description	Abstract Background Drug use is associated with increased morbidity and mortality but people who use drugs experience significant barriers to care. Data are needed about the care experiences of people who use drugs to inform interventions and quality improvement initiatives. The objective of this study is to describe and characterize the experience of acute care for people who use drugs. Methods We conducted a qualitative descriptive study. We recruited people with a history of active drug use at the time of an admission to an acute care hospital, who were living with HIV or hepatitis C, in Toronto and Ottawa, Canada. Data were collected in 2014 and 2015 through semi-structured interviews, audio-recorded and transcribed, and analyzed thematically. Results Twenty-four adults (18 men, 6 women) participated. Participants predominantly recounted experiences of stigma and challenges accessing care. We present the identified themes in two overarching domains of interest: perceived effect of drug use on hospital care and impact of care experiences on future healthcare interactions. Participants described significant barriers to pain management, often resulting in inconsistent and inadequate pain management. They described various strategies to navigate access and receipt of healthcare from being “an easy patient” to self-advocacy. Negative experiences influenced their willingness to seek care, often resulting in delayed care seeking and targeting of certain hospitals. Conclusion Drug use was experienced as a barrier at all stages of hospital care. Interventions to decrease stigma and improve our consistency and approach to pain management are necessary to improve the quality of care and care experiences of those who use drugs.
topic	Drug use Hospital care Qualitative research Stigma Patient experience
url	http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12954-019-0285-7
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“Maybe if I stop the drugs, then maybe they’d care?”—hospital care experiences of people who use drugs

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