Thomas Jefferson University, Department of Emergency Medicine, 1025 Walnut Street, College Building, Philadelphia, PA 19107, United States.
Drexel University, Dornsife School of Public Health, 3215 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, United States.
Int J Drug Policy. 2021 Jun;92:103147. doi: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2021.103147. Epub 2021 Feb 12.
Fentanyl dominates the heroin supply in many regions of the United States. One harm reduction response has been the distribution of fentanyl test strips to people who use heroin to test for the presence of fentanyl. Reports increasingly indicate that fentanyl contamination is occurring in the illicit stimulant market, but whether people who use stimulants would use fentanyl test strips is unknown.
Between January 2019 and January 2020, fifteen people in Philadelphia, PA who reported stimulant use completed a semi-structured interview with questions about their perceptions of fentanyl and willingness to use fentanyl test strips. Data were coded and analyzed for thematic content using constructs from the Health Belief Model and risk environment theory.
Participants primarily reported using crack cocaine or crack cocaine/heroin, while some used methamphetamine, powder cocaine, or prescription opioids. All were aware of fentanyl and believed they were susceptible to a fentanyl overdose as stimulant users. Participants perceived benefits of using test strips but reported barriers, such as the unpredictable nature of buying or using drugs and not wanting to delay drug use to test. Structural conditions impeded participant actions to reduce overdose risk if their drugs tested positive for fentanyl.
Fentanyl test strips were a desired harm reduction tool by many participants who used stimulants. In addition to providing access to the strips, programs should tailor overdose prevention education to these clients by acknowledging susceptibility, amplifying benefits, and addressing drug-specific barriers to use of fentanyl test strips.
芬太尼在美国许多地区主导了海洛因供应。一种减少危害的反应是向使用海洛因的人分发芬太尼检测条，以检测是否存在芬太尼。越来越多的报告表明，芬太尼污染正在非法兴奋剂市场发生，但使用兴奋剂的人是否会使用芬太尼检测条尚不清楚。
在 2019 年 1 月至 2020 年 1 月期间，宾夕法尼亚州费城的 15 名报告使用兴奋剂的人完成了一项半结构化访谈，其中包括有关他们对芬太尼的看法以及使用芬太尼检测条的意愿的问题。使用健康信念模型和风险环境理论的构建对数据进行编码和分析，以获取主题内容。
参与者主要报告使用可卡因或可卡因/海洛因，而一些人使用冰毒、可卡因粉末或处方类阿片类药物。所有人都知道芬太尼，并认为作为兴奋剂使用者，他们容易出现芬太尼过量。参与者认为使用检测条有好处，但报告了一些障碍，例如购买或使用药物的不可预测性，以及不想因检测而延迟药物使用。结构条件阻碍了参与者采取行动来降低因药物中检测出芬太尼而导致的过量风险。
许多使用兴奋剂的参与者都希望使用芬太尼检测条作为减少危害的工具。除了提供检测条之外，项目还应通过承认易感性、放大好处和解决特定于药物的使用芬太尼检测条的障碍，为这些客户量身定制过量预防教育。
