Table 1.
Description of trials included in the systematic review and meta-analyses
| Authors | Participants (% female) | Intervention delivery setting/staff | Intervention group description | Control group description | Length of follow-up | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Intervention group/s | Number of sessions | Intervention function/s | Control intervention | Number of sessions | ||||
| Abou-Saleh et al. [31] | 95 HCV-ve PWID (26%) | Outpatient drug treatment/treatment staff | Enhanced prevention counselling (N = 43) | 4 × 40–60 min sessions | Education, enablement | Simple educational counselling (N = 52) | 1 × 10 min session | 6 months post randomisation |
| Avants et al. [32] | 220 PWID in methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) (69%) | MMT/clinician | Standard care + harm reduction group (N = 108) | 12 × 90 min weekly group sessions | Education, enablement, training | Standard care + single HIV risk reduction session (N = 112) | 1 × 2 h session | Post intervention |
| Bertrand et al. [33] | 219 PWID that shared drugs or injection equipment (18%) | Not specified/researcher | Motivational intervention (MI) (N = 111) | 1 session | Enablement, persuasion | Education Intervention (N = 108) | 1 × 30–45 min | 6 months post randomisation |
| Booth et al. [17] | 632 PWID (24%) | Residential detoxification/interventionist | Treatment as usual (TAU) + HIV/HCV counselling and education (C&E) (N = 212) TAU + intervention to facilitate treatment entry (N = 209) |
2 individual sessions individual session | Education, enablement, training | TAU: HIV/HCV risk assessment screening and referral for testing and counselling (N = 211) | HIV/HCV risk assessment screening and referral for testing and counselling | 6 months post randomisation |
| Dushay et al. [34] | 669 drug users [64% injecting] (27%) | Not reported | Ethnic cultural enhanced intervention (n = 453) | 5 sessions | Education, enablement, training | AIDS video educational programme (N = 216) | 2 video sessions | 5–10 months post randomisation (20% interviewed 12 months post randomisation) |
| El-Bassell et al. [35] | 282 HIV-negative drug-using couples (16% PWID) (50%) | Not reported/trained facilitator | Couple-based risk reduction (n = 190) Individual-based HIV risk reduction delivered to male or female drug using partner (n = 183) |
7 sessions | Enablement, training | Couple-based wellness promotion (n = 190) | 7 sessions | 12 months post randomisation |
| Gagnon et al. [37] | 260 PWID (31%) | Needle exchange/computerised intervention | Standard intervention (needle exchanges, psychosocial support and social and health service referrals) + computer-tailored messages (N = 130) | 4 sessions | Education, enablement, modelling, persuasion | standard intervention (N = 130) | 4 weeks | 3 months post intervention |
| Garfein et al. [38], Purcell et al. [47], Mackesy-Amiti et al. [42, 60, 61] | 654 HIV-ve and HCV-ve PWID (34%) | Not reported/trained facilitators | Peer education (N = 431) | 6 sessions | Education, enablement, training | Video discussion (N = 423) | 6 sessions | 6 months post intervention |
| Gilbert et al. [22] | 40 HIV-ve couples who inject drugs (50%) | Needle exchange/facilitators | Couple based HIV risk reduction (20 couples) | 3 single-gender group sessions + couple session | Education, modelling, training | Wellness promotion condition (20 couples) | 4 group sessions | 3 months post intervention |
| Go et al. [59] | 419 index HIV-ve PWID (0%) | Not reported | Peer network-oriented (N = 210) | 6 sessions + 3 booster sessions | Education, enablement, training | TAU + HIV pamphlet (N = 209) | n/a | 12 months post intervention |
| Go et al. [30] | 455 HIV + ve PWID (0%) | Community intervention education sessions delivered by a trained community mobilizer; Individual HIV knowledge and skill-building group sessions conducted by two facilitators |
Individual level
HIV testing and counselling, plus 2 individual post-test counselling sessions, 2 small group sessions (HIV knowledge and skill-building) + optional dyad session (N = 95) Community and individual level Community-wide programme consisting of a 2-part video and a series of 6 HIV education sessions (N = 132) |
4 individual sessions + 2 group sessions + optional dyad session 2-part video and a series of 6 HIV education sessions |
Education, enablement, training education |
Individual level
HIV testing and counselling (N = 89) Community level Standard messages on HIV through village weekly public loudspeakers and educational pamphlets already being provided by community health stations (N = 139) |
2 sessions | 24 months post randomisation |
| Hoffman [23] | 432 PWID (33%) | Research centre/facilitators | Psychological-communicative behavioral training Peer educator (N = 99) Network members (N = 127) |
7 group + 1 individual session + 4 booster meetings | Education, modelling, persuasion, training | Group sessions devoted to areas of interest (N = 92) Network members (N = 114) |
8 sessions | 24 months post randomisation |
| Latka et al. [41], Kapadia et al. [58] | 418 HCV + ve PWID (24%) | 3 research sites/facilitators | Peer-mentoring behavioural intervention (N = 222) | 6 sessions | Education, training | Video-discussion (N = 196) | 6 sessions | 6 months post intervention |
| Latkin et al. [21] | 250 [47% PWID] (39%) | Clinic/indigenous para-professional facilitators | Small-group which encouraged peer outreach (N = 81) | 10 group sessions | Enablement, education, training | Equal-attention control condition (N = 36) | 10 sessions | 6 months post intervention |
| Latkin et al. [18, 57] | 414 networks with 1123 HIV-ve participants [91% PWID (3% in Thailand; 20% in US) | Not reported/facilitator | HIV counselling and testing (C&T) + group peer-education (N = 204 networks) | 2 individual + 6 group + 2 booster sessions | Education, enablement, persuasion, training | HIV C&T (N = 210 networks) | 2 sessions | Up to 30 months (24 in Thailand) post randomisation |
| Margolin et al. [43] | 90 PWID HIV + ve entering MMT (30%) | MMT/counsellor | Enhanced-MMT (E-MMP) (6 months of daily methadone and weekly individual substance abuse counseling and case management) + HIV Harm Reduction Program (N = 45) | 6-sessions | Enablement, persuasion, training | Enhanced-MMT (E-MMP) + active control that included harm reduction components (N = 45) | 6 sessions | 9 months post randomisation |
| McMahon et al. [44, 45] | 330 HIV-ve drug users [48% PWID] (100%) and male partners | Field office/interventionist | (1) Couple-Based HIV C&T (N = 110) [43% PWID] (2) Women only relationship-focused HIV C&T (N = 104) [51% PWID] |
2 sessions 2 sessions |
Education, enablement | HIV C&T (N = 116) [51% PWID] | 2 sessions | 9 months post intervention |
| Otiashvili et al. [46] | 40 drug users [98% PWID] (0%) and drug-free female partners | Research unit/counsellor | MI for drug user and couple, contingency management + naltrexone (n = 20). Female partners invited to attend couples counselling | 22 sessions | Enablement, incentivisation | Education sessions. Referrals drug treatment (n = 20) | 22 sessions | 6 months post intervention |
| Purcell et al. [47, 56] | 966 HIV +ve PWID (36%) | Not reported/peers | Peer mentoring intervention (N = 486) | 10 sessions (7 group; 2 individual; 1 ‘peer activity’) | Education, enablement, training | Video discussion (N = 480) | 8 sessions | 12 months post intervention |
| Robles et al. [48] | 557 PWID (4%) | Assessment facility or drug treatment/nurse | HIV/AIDS risk intervention + counselling + case management (N = 285) | 2 sessions 6 sessions |
Education, Enablement, training | HIV/AIDS risk intervention (N = 272) | 2 sessions | 6 months post randomisation |
| Rotheram-Borus et al. [49] and Hershberger et al. [40] | 1116 drug users [65% PWID] (33%) | Field office/counsellors/outreach workers | HIV C&T + HIV prevention programme (group skills focused workshops, individual counselling, outreach/social events) (N = 558; 359 PWID) |
2 HIV C&T sessions + 5 sessions (2 group, 1 individual +≥2 structured outreach) | Enablement, training | HIV C&T (N = 559; 364 PWID) | 2 sessions | 9 months post randomisation |
| Samet et al. [50] | 700 HIV + ve with risky sex and heavy alcohol consumption [60% PWID] (41%) | Hospital setting/peers | Healthy relationships intervention (n = 350; 212 PWID) | 2 individual + 3 small group sessions | Education, enablement, modelling, training | Attention control (n = 350; 211 PWID) | 2 individual + 3 group sessions | 12 months post randomisation |
| Schroeder et al. [20] and Epstein et al. [36] | 81 drug users [96% PWID] (52%) | Research clinic/counsellor | MMT + individual counselling followed by 12 weeks of intervention condition, followed by a 12-week standard treatment (1) weekly CBT + contingent vouchers (CM) (N = 16) (2) weekly CBT + noncontingent vouchers (N = 19) (3) CM plus weekly group therapy (N = 22) |
29 weeks (methadone + 5 weekly individual counselling, 12 weeks of intervention, followed by 12 weeks standard treatment | Education, Enablement, Incentivisation Modelling, training |
Standard dose of methadone (70–80 mg/day) + + weekly individual counselling (5 weeks) followed by 12 weeks of control condition, followed by a 12-week standard treatment Group therapy + non-contingent vouchers (N = 24) |
29 weeks (methadone + 5 weekly individual counselling, 12 weeks of intervention, followed by 12 weeks standard treatment | Post intervention |
| Stein et al. [51] | 109 PWID who drink hazardously (38%) | Research site/social worker | Referrals for substance use and medical treatment + brief MI (N = 60) | 2 sessions | Enablement | Referrals for substance abuse and medical treatment provided (N = 49) | n/a | 6 months post randomisation |
| Stein et al. [52] | 109 PWID (36%) | Outpatient academic research office/Clinical Psychologist | CBT + pharmacotherapy for depression (N = 53) | 8 CBT sessions + 3 pharmacotherapy visits | Education, Enablement, Training | Assessment (N = 56) | Assessment visit | 9 months post randomisation |
| Stein et al. [53] | 277 HCV-ve drug users [28% PWID] (37%) | Not stated/interventionist | MI (N = 140) | 4 sessions | Education, enablement, persuasion | Leaflet about local resources (N = 137) | n/a | 24 months post randomisation |
| Sterk et al. [29] | 68 HIV-ve PWID (100%) | Health intervention project house/interventionists | Enhanced MI (EMI) (N = 20) Enhanced negotiation intervention (ENI) (N = 21) |
4 sessions 4 sessions |
Education, enablement, training | NIDA standard intervention (N = 27) | 2 sessions | 6-months (not clear if post intervention or post randomisation) |
| Strathdee et al. [26] and Vera et al. [55] | 584 Sex workers who inject drugs (100%) | Not reported/counsellors | Interactive injection risk and didactic sexual risk intervention (N = 146) Interactive sexual risk and didactic injection risk intervention (N = 148) Interactive Injection and Sexual Risk Intervention) (N = 146) |
1 session 1 session 1 session |
Education, enablement, modelling, persuasion, training | Didactic injection and sexual risk intervention (N = 144) | 1 × 60 min session | 12 months post randomisation |
| Tobin et al. [25] | 227 PWID (45%) | Research clinic/not reported | Peer educator intervention (N = 114) | 7 sessions (5 group + 1 individual + 1 with participant and enrolled Risk Network Members) | Education, enablement, training | Group information (N = 113) | 5 sessions | 18 months post intervention |
| Tucker et al. [54] | 145 PWID (26%) | Out-patient clinical and research organization/clinical researcher | Tailored brief behavioural intervention (N = 73) | 1 session | Education, enablement | HCV educational leaflet (N = 72) | n/a | 1 month post randomisation |
| Wechsberg et al. [24] | 100 PWID (100%) | Inpatient detoxification/psychologist | Woman-focused Intervention (N = 51) | 2 sessions | Education, enablement, training | Nutrition intervention (N = 49) | 2 sessions | 3 months post randomisation |
| Zule et al. [19] | 851 PWID (27%) | Not reported/lay community members | HCV risk reduction MI (n = 423) | 6 sessions | Education, enablement, modelling, persuasion | Video HCV educational intervention (n = 428) | 6 sessions | 12 months post randomisation |