{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,20]],"date-time":"2026-10-20T13:13:58Z","timestamp":1792502038734,"version":"4.5.0"},"reference-count":28,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"9","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,9,13]],"date-time":"2024-09-13T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1726185600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/100000002","name":"National Institutes of Health","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["UH3DA044831"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["UH3DA044831"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100000002","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/100000002","name":"National Institutes of Health","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["UG1DA015815"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["UG1DA015815"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100000002","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/100000002","name":"National Institutes of Health","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["KL2TR002370"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["KL2TR002370"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100000002","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/100000002","name":"National Institutes of Health","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["K01 DA55130"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["K01 DA55130"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100000002","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/100000002","name":"National Institute on Drug Abuse","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["UH3DA044831"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["UH3DA044831"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100000002","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/100000002","name":"National Institute on Drug Abuse","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["UG1DA015815"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["UG1DA015815"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100000002","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/100000002","name":"National Institute on Drug Abuse","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["KL2TR002370"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["KL2TR002370"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100000002","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/100000002","name":"National Institute on Drug Abuse","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["K01 DA55130"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["K01 DA55130"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100000002","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"name":"National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences","award":["UH3DA044831"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["UH3DA044831"]}]},{"name":"National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences","award":["UG1DA015815"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["UG1DA015815"]}]},{"name":"National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences","award":["KL2TR002370"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["KL2TR002370"]}]},{"name":"National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences","award":["K01 DA55130"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["K01 DA55130"]}]},{"name":"National Institute of Drug Abuse","award":["UH3DA044831"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["UH3DA044831"]}]},{"name":"National Institute of Drug Abuse","award":["UG1DA015815"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["UG1DA015815"]}]},{"name":"National Institute of Drug Abuse","award":["KL2TR002370"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["KL2TR002370"]}]},{"name":"National Institute of Drug Abuse","award":["K01 DA55130"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["K01 DA55130"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Viruses"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Hepatitis C (HCV) treatment for people who use drugs (PWUD) decreases injection drug use and injection equipment sharing. We examined changes in injection drug use and injection equipment sharing following HCV treatment in a randomized trial comparing peer-assisted telemedicine for HCV treatment (TeleHCV) versus peer-assisted usual care in rural PWUD. We hypothesize that TeleHCV reduces risky behaviors and peers facilitate this change. We used mixed-effects logistic regression to describe participant-level (n = 203) associations between both injection drug use and injection equipment sharing and randomized groups, frequency of peer contact, HCV treatment initiation, HCV cure, and time. Risky behaviors were surveyed at baseline and 12 and 36 weeks after HCV treatment completion. Injection drug use declined more over time in TeleHCV participants vs. control at 12 weeks (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 0.42, 95% CI 0.20\u20130.87, p = 0.02) and 36 weeks (aOR = 0.48, 95% CI 0.21\u20131.08, p = 0.076). Injection drug use decreased more with a greater number of peer interactions, with reductions among participants in the 3rd quartile exceeding those in the 1st quartile of peer interactions at 12 weeks (aOR = 0.75, 95% CI 0.57\u20130.99, p = 0.04). Similarly, injection equipment sharing decreased over time, with reductions among participants in the 3rd quartile exceeding those in the 1st quartile of peer interactions at 36 weeks (aOR = 0.08, 95% CI 0.01\u20130.97, p = 0.047). Peer-assisted telemedicine for HCV treatment decreases injection drug use and injection equipment sharing; peers contribute to this effect.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/v16091455","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,9,13]],"date-time":"2024-09-13T03:03:37Z","timestamp":1726196617000},"page":"1455","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["Harm Reduction in Peer-Assisted Telemedicine for Hepatitis C: Secondary Outcomes of a Randomized Controlled Trial"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"16","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5710-1836","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Hunter","family":"Spencer","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of General Internal Medicine & Geriatrics, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR 97239, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Devin","family":"Gregoire","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of General Internal Medicine & Geriatrics, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR 97239, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4936-1379","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Gillian","family":"Leichtling","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Comagine Health, Portland, OR 97232, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6402-0260","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Megan","family":"Herink","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Pharmacy, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Andrew","family":"Seaman","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of General Internal Medicine & Geriatrics, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR 97239, USA"},{"name":"Central City Concern, Portland, OR 97209, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5556-3597","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"P. Todd","family":"Korthuis","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of General Internal Medicine & Geriatrics, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR 97239, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ryan","family":"Cook","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of General Internal Medicine & Geriatrics, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR 97239, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,9,13]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e659","DOI":"10.1016\/S2214-109X(23)00057-8","article-title":"Epidemiology of injecting drug use, prevalence of injecting-related harm, and exposure to behavioural and environmental risks among people who inject drugs: A systematic review","volume":"11","author":"Degenhardt","year":"2023","journal-title":"Lancet Glob. 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