Engaging people who use drugs in policy and program development: A review of the literature

Abstract

Health policies and programs are increasingly being driven by people from the community to more effectively address their needs. While a large body of evidence supports peer engagement in the context of policy and program development for various populations, little is known about this form of engagement among people who use drugs (PWUD). Therefore, a narrative literature review was undertaken to provide an overview of this topic. Searches of PubMed and Academic Search Premier databases covering 1995–2010 were conducted to identify articles assessing peer engagement in policy and program development. In total, 19 articles were included for review. Our findings indicate that PWUD face many challenges that restrict their ability to engage with public health professionals and policy makers, including the high levels of stigma and discrimination that persist among this population. Although the literature shows that many international organizations are recommending the involvement of PWUD in policy and program development, our findings revealed a lack of published data on the implementation of these efforts. Gaps in the current evidence highlight the need for additional research to explore and document the engagement of PWUD in the areas of policy and program development. Further, efforts to minimize stigmatizing barriers associated with illicit drug use are urgently needed to improve the engagement of PWUD in decision making processes.

WITHDRAWN: Examining Substance Use Services and Treatment Barriers and Needs among People with Lived Experience (PWLE) in Ontario, Canada.

“…Current literature highlights that community-based participatory research that engages PWLE throughout the process can result in bene cial public health outcomes such as reduced relapse rates, increased treatment retention, improved relationships with treatment providers and social supports, and increased satisfaction with treatment experiences [24][25][26]. Fortunately, governments and organizations are increasingly recognizing the need for community driven interventions to be informed by the people that use them and for whom they directly affect (i.e., PWLE) [27][28][29]. Speci cally, scienti c research funders have acknowledged the importance of community-based participatory and PWLE-involved research, while researchers in both Canada and abroad have developed recommendations to support the meaningful inclusion of PWLE in research, and have established research cohorts and longstanding partnerships with the local community to ensure research aligns with the needs of communities [27,[30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41].…”

‘Communities are attempting to tackle the crisis’: a scoping review on community plans to prevent and reduce opioid-related harms

“…This finding may relate to our observations on the lack of involvement of those disproportionately affected by the crisis (eg, Indigenous persons and people with lived experience of substance use) and initiatives addressing structural determinants of health. Particularly as the value of involving people with lived experience of substance use is well documented,141 our findings underscore the need for meaningfully involving people with lived experience of substance use to ensure approaches better meet population needs.…”

Consumer participation in drug treatment: a systematic review

“…The first focused on consumers' perspectives regarding provider training to ensure they are responsive to consumers' needs (Wylie, 2010). The second reviewed studies that focused on the involvement of people who use drugs in policy and program development noting the lack of evidence regarding their participation on policy committees (Ti et al, 2012).…”