Drug Use-Related Discrimination in Healthcare Settings and Subsequent Emergency Department Utilization in a Prospective Cohort Study of People With a History of Injection Drug Use.
Evan L Eschliman, Eshan U Patel, Sarah M Murray, Danielle German, Gregory D Kirk, Shruti H Mehta, Michelle R Kaufman, Becky L Genberg
Author Information
Evan L Eschliman: Department of Epidemiology, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, New York, USA. ORCID
Eshan U Patel: Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Sarah M Murray: Department of Mental Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Danielle German: Department of Health, Behavior and Society, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA. ORCID
Gregory D Kirk: Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Shruti H Mehta: Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Michelle R Kaufman: Department of Health, Behavior and Society, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Becky L Genberg: Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
BACKGROUND: People with a history of injection drug use face discrimination in healthcare settings that may impede their use of routine care, leading to greater reliance on the emergency department (ED) for addressing health concerns. The relationship between discrimination in healthcare settings and subsequent ED utilization has not been established in this population. METHODS: This analysis used longitudinal data collected between January 2014 and March 2020 from participants of the ALIVE (AIDS Linked to the IntraVenous Experience) study, a community-based observational cohort study of people with a history of injection drug use in Baltimore, Maryland. Logistic regressions with generalized estimating equations were used to estimate associations between drug use-related discrimination in healthcare settings and subsequent ED utilization for the sample overall and six subgroups based on race, sex, and HIV status. RESULTS: 1,342 participants contributed data from 7,289 semiannual study visits. Participants were predominately Black (82%), mostly male (66%), and 33% were living with HIV. Drug use-related discrimination in healthcare settings (reported at 6% of study visits) was positively associated with any subsequent ED use (OR = 1.40, 95% CI: 1.15-1.72). Positive associations persisted after adjusting for covariates, including past sixth-month ED use and drug use, among the overall sample (aOR = 1.28, 95% CI: 1.04-1.59) and among some subgroups. CONCLUSIONS: Drug use-related discrimination in healthcare settings was associated with greater subsequent ED utilization in this sample. Further exploration of mechanisms driving this relationship may help improve care and optimize healthcare engagement for people with a history of injection drug use.
