Prevalence of hepatitis C in sexual assault survivors presenting to a SANE clinic: A descriptive analysis.

While previous epidemiologic research has demonstrated that sexual assault survivors (SAS) may be at disproportionate risk for exposure to Hepatitis C (HCV), HCV screening in SAS is not addressed in current post-sexual assault testing recommendations. We sought to identify the prevalence of HCV among a SAS cohort along with associated basic demographics. Opt-out HCV antibody screening and RNA confirmatory testing was provided for all SAS at a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) clinic in Birmingham, Alabama, from April 2020 through March 2021. A retrospective chart review was conducted using descriptive statistical and Chi-squared analyses. A total of 293 SAS presented to the clinic during the study timeframe. Two hundred forty-two (82.6%) were screened for HCV and 26 (8.9%) were found to be HCV antibody (Ab) positive [significantly higher than state (<1.0%) and national (1.0%) HCV incidence rates (p < 0.0001)]. SAS age groups 25-34 and 35-44 were more likely to screen HCV Ab-positive (15.2% and 14.9% respectively; p = 0.02). Female SAS were more likely to be tested for HCV then males (p = 0.02), although male SAS were more likely to be found HCV Ab-positive when screened (24.4%, p < 0.0001). Overall, SAS demographics also demonstrate the presence of significant social vulnerabilities, specifically high rates of homelessness (4.4%) and incarceration (5.1%). This data highlight the potential impact of universal HCV screening and risk counselling in a high social risk population and suggests a potential for future focused interventions.

Refining United States Sexual Minority Adult Population Estimates with the Inclusion of "Something Else" and "Don't Know" Survey Responses.

Purpose: To refine estimates of the U.S. sexual minority population, we sought to characterize trends in the odds of respondents selecting "something else" or "don't know" when asked about sexual orientation on the National Health Interview Survey and to reclassify those respondents likely to be sexual minority adults. Methods: Logistic regression was conducted to test whether the odds of selecting "something else" or "don't know" increased over time. A previously established analytic approach was used to identify sexual minority adults among these respondents. Results: Between 2013 and 2018, the percentage of respondents selecting "something else" or "don't know" increased 2.7-fold, from 0.54% to 1.44%. Reclassifying respondents with >50% predicted probabilities of being sexual minorities increased sexual minority population estimates by as much as 20.2%. Conclusion: A growing proportion of adults are selecting "something else" or "don't know." Properly classifying these responses yields more accurate sexual minority population estimates.

Impact of Emergency Department-Initiated Buprenorphine on Repeat Emergency Department Utilization.

Introduction: Recent studies have demonstrated the promise of emergency department (ED)-initiated buprenorphine/naloxone (bup/nx) for improving 30-day retention in outpatient addiction care programs for patients with opioid use disorder (OUD). We investigated whether ED-initiated bup/nx for OUD also impacts repeat ED utilization. Methods: We performed a retrospective chart review of ED patients discharged with a primary diagnosis of OUD from July 2019-December 2020. Characteristics considered included age, gender, race, insurance status, domicile status, presence of comorbid Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) diagnosis, presenting chief complaint, and provision of a bup/nx prescription and/or naloxone kit. Primary outcomes included repeat ED visit (opioid or non-opioid related) within 30 days, 90 days, and one year. Statistical analyses included bivariate comparison and Poisson regression. Results: Of 169 participants, the majority were male (67.5%), White (82.8%), uninsured (72.2%), and in opioid withdrawal and/or requesting "detox" (75.7%). Ninety-one (53.8%) received ED-initiated bup/nx, which was independent of age, gender, race, insurance status, presence of comorbid DSM-5 diagnosis, or domicile status. Naloxone was more likely to be provided to patients who received bup/nx (97.8% vs 26.9%; P < 0.001), and bup/nx was more likely to be given to patients who presented with opioid withdrawal and/or requested "detox" (63.3% vs 36.7%; P < 0.001). Bup/nx provision was associated with decreased ED utilization for opioid-related visits at 30 days (P = 0.04). Homelessness and lack of insurance were associated with increased ED utilization for non-opioid-related visits at 90 days (P = 0.008 and P = 0.005, respectively), and again at one year for homelessness (P < 0.001). When controlling for age and domicile status, the adjusted incidence rate ratio for overall ED visits was 0.56 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.33-0.96) at 30 days, 0.43 (95% CI 0.27-0.69) at 90 days, and 0.60 (95% CI 0.39-0.92) at one year, favoring bup/nx provision. Conclusion: Initiation of bup/nx in the ED setting was associated with decreased subsequent ED utilization. Socioeconomic factors, specifically health insurance and domicile status, significantly impacted non-opioid-related ED reuse. These findings demonstrate the ED's potential as an initiation point for bup/nx and highlight the importance of considering the social risk and social need for OUD patients.

Utilizing Laboratory Results to Identify Emergency Department Patients with Indications for HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis.

People newly diagnosed with HIV often have previous contact with health care professionals, often on multiple occasions, including within emergency departments (EDs). Although EDs have become vital partners in routine screening and linkage to care for persons with HIV, ED engagement in HIV prevention efforts, to include HIV risk assessment and pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) referral, are rare. In this study, we electronically queried the hospital electronic health record (EHR) for ED encounters in 2019 and 2020 for patients who screened negative for HIV (N = 26,914) to identify objective evidence of HIV acquisition risk due to recent sexual behavior (sexually transmitted infection screen positive for chlamydia, syphilis, gonorrhea, or trichomoniasis) or recent injection drug practices (urine drug screen positive for heroin, amphetamines, cocaine, or other opiates). In the reviewed period, we identified 1324 patients (4.92%) at sufficient risk to warrant PrEP referral (i.e., PrEP indications), including 304 (22.96%) due to sexual behavior and 1032 (77.95%) due to potential injection drug use. Notably, among adults with PrEP indications regardless of transmission risk group, persons who inject drugs (PWID) represented a significantly larger proportion within our ED cohort as compared with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates for the US population (77.95% vs. 6.34%, p < 0.0001). Among adults with PrEP indications due to sexual behavior specifically, women represented a significantly larger proportion within our ED cohort as compared with estimates for the US population (62.17% vs. 16.48%, p < 0.0001). Our results demonstrate that utilizing laboratory results within the EHR may be a simple low-resource option for identifying and engaging PrEP candidates, especially women and PWID.