Breaking the vicious cycle of delayed healthcare seeking for people who use drugs
PWUD in Athens, Greece demonstrate delayed health-seeking behaviors and report multifaceted healthcare access barriers including stigma, delays in emergency care, poor mental health, homelessness, and SUD manifestations. Key trust-building processes to expand healthcare access include minimizing stigma and promoting empathy in healthcare encounters, enhancing healthcare staff education on SUD, improving the responsiveness of emergency medical services, engaging community organizations, and exploring telehealth's role in improving healthcare access for PWUD.
Authors
- Arpan Dharia (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9015-5337)
- Andrew H. Talal (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5565-7515)
- Suzanne S. Dickerson (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8321-575X)
- Angelos Hatzakis (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8420-3830)
- George Kalamitsis
- Vasiliki Triantafyllou
- Zoi Papalamprakopoulou (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0005-5934-0151)
- Elisavet Ntagianta
Institutions
- National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (GR)
- Senologic Hellenic Society (GR)
- University at Buffalo, State University of New York (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Harm Reduction Journal
- Published
- 2025-03-05
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1186/s12954-025-01166-3
- Citations
- 9
- Primary Topic
- Pharmaceutical Practices and Patient Outcomes
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 11.02
Funders
- Kaleida Health Foundation