Knowledge and Attitudes of Filipino Community Healthcare and Service Providers Toward Drug Addiction and Persons Who Use Drugs

Abstract: Healthcare and service providers (HSPs) are crucial in reaching persons who use drugs (PWUDs) to get them screened and treated. Because of their crucial role in the recovery of PWUDs and the dearth of evidence about attitudes of HSPs in community settings and in countries with a punitive approach to drug use such as the Philippines, this study aimed to assess and determine HSP’s knowledge, attitudes, and level of stigma and discrimination towards PWUDs. Using a mixed-method approach, 36 HSPs were interviewed and 276 were surveyed to determine attitudes toward drug use and PWUDs across five regions in the Philippines. The results show that HSPs still subscribe to three myths about drug users and addiction that need to be broken, specifically majority of users become addicted to drugs, all an addict needs to do to recover is the will to stop, and addiction is a sign of moral and character weakness. Moreover, the results showed that faith-based workers are more likely to view drug use as a moral issue compared to other HSPs. However, those with greater exposure to PWUDs report greater understanding and comfort in dealing with PWUDs. The results suggest the need for experiential approaches in training of HSPs to improve knowledge and attitudes toward PWUDs.