British Columbia Centre on Substance Use, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
Department of Experimental Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
J Int AIDS Soc. 2020 Aug;23(8):e25577. doi: 10.1002/jia2.25577.
Older adults living with HIV (OALHIV; ≥50 years) who use drugs face unique needs and challenges that compromise their health and wellbeing due to the structural and environmental barriers they experience, in addition to being disproportionately affected by comorbidities. Nevertheless, research on this population is limited and work is needed to tailor and optimize their care and services. The purpose of this commentary is to address the key research gaps pertaining to OALHIV who use drugs.
We identified four key research gaps specific to OALHIV who use drugs. Gap 1: Increased understanding of how older adults manage HIV alongside comorbidities in the context of substance use is critical to optimize their care management. Gap 2: More information on the geriatric characteristics of OALHIV who use drugs and the need and role of harm reduction in geriatric care is necessary for the provision of appropriate and effective care. Gap 3: Greater knowledge around the adoption of harm reduction and case manager approaches in various care facilities is essential to ensure equitable access to care for OALHIV who use drugs. Gap 4: Improved understanding of barriers to high-quality palliative care among OALHIV who use drugs is important to enhance quality of life across their life course.
Addressing the identified gaps in literature will lead to a more fulsome understanding of the issues encountered by OALHIV who use drugs and inform the development and implementation of strategies that address disparities at the intersection of HIV, substance use and ageing.
感染艾滋病毒的老年群体（≥50 岁）中，药物滥用者面临独特的需求和挑战，由于他们所经历的结构性和环境障碍，加上他们不成比例地受到合并症的影响，这损害了他们的健康和福祉。尽管如此，针对这一人群的研究仍然有限，需要开展工作，以调整和优化他们的护理和服务。本评论的目的是解决与药物滥用的老年艾滋病毒感染者相关的关键研究空白。
我们确定了四个与药物滥用的老年艾滋病毒感染者相关的关键研究空白。空白 1：更深入地了解老年感染者在药物使用背景下如何管理 HIV 合并症，对于优化他们的护理管理至关重要。空白 2：更多关于药物滥用的老年感染者的老年特征以及老年护理中减少伤害的必要性和作用的信息，是提供适当和有效护理的必要条件。空白 3：更多地了解在各种护理设施中采用减少伤害和个案管理人员方法的情况，对于确保药物滥用的老年感染者获得公平的护理至关重要。空白 4：更好地了解药物滥用的老年感染者在获得高质量姑息治疗方面的障碍，对于提高他们整个生命过程中的生活质量非常重要。
解决文献中确定的差距，将导致更全面地了解药物滥用的老年艾滋病毒感染者所面临的问题，并为制定和实施解决艾滋病毒、药物使用和老龄化交叉点上的差异的战略提供信息。
