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Open research questions in HIV, Drug Use, Sexual Risk

190 unresolved questions extracted from the limitations and future-work sections of 1,849 HIV, Drug Use, Sexual Risk papers in our library. Each links back to the study that raised it.

What the literature leaves open

  • Limited prior research on African countries. Lack of investigation into the potential association between drug use disorder and interpersonal violence.

    Predictors of Death Related to Drug Use Disorder and Interpersonal Violence in North Africa · 2026 · DOI

  • Without visible improvements in overdose prevention, service access, and public communication, the policy’s long-term viability remains uncertain.

    Shifting views on decriminalization in British Columbia: insights from public opinion polling, 2024–2025 · 2026 · DOI

  • The criterion that mandated treatment be "likely to be beneficial" is undermined by the coercive nature of such interventions and the lack of evidence supporting their effectiveness when compared to voluntary care.

    Rethinking Mandated Drug Treatment: Why Expanding Freedom Requires Structural Drug Policy Reform · 2026 · DOI

  • Abstract The fentanyl‐fueled overdose crisis is historically lethal, yet the voices of those who sell fentanyl remain understudied.

    “It's such a terrible drug”: Narratives of fentanyl dealers amid the opioid overdose crisis · 2025 · DOI

  • INTRODUCTION: There are currently limited data regarding the clinical and economic significance of skin and soft tissue infections (SSTI) and bone and joint infections in Australian people who inject drugs (PWID).

    The burden of skin and soft tissue, bone and joint infections in an Australian cohort of people who inject drugs · 2024 · DOI

  • In addition, limited evidence exists to support the effectiveness of simplified algorithms in clinical trial and real-world settings.

    Does a simplified algorithm and integrated HCV care model improve linkage to care, retention, and cure among people who inject drugs? A pragmatic quality improvement randomized controlled trial protocol · 2024 · DOI

  • INTRODUCTION: Community Safety Response (CSR) programs increasingly provide non-police alternatives to behavioral health crises, but their role in addressing substance use calls remains poorly understood.

    Access to non-police crisis response for people who use drugs: lessons from community safety response programs in two U.S. cities · 2026 · DOI

  • There is a lack of data on the availability of screening for blood-borne viruses, sexually transmitted infections, and HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis at US substance use treatment facilities treating stimulant use disorder. There is a need for increased availability of these services.

    Availability of Screening for Blood-Borne Viruses, Sexually Transmitted Infections, and HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis at US Substance Use Treatment Facilities Treating Stimulant Use Disorder · 2026 · DOI

  • The results of this study should be interpreted in the context of several limitations. First, as with all survey studies, N-SUMHSS data are subject to recall bias. Next, N-SUMHSS wording in querying PrEP availability may also represent a limitation because it did not explicitly mention PrEP for HIV prevention. However, the 2 oral antiretroviral drugs approved for HIV PrEP are mentioned in the question text that likely mitigated misunderstanding. The N- SUMHSS did not include LAI-cabotegravir for PrEP, which is another limitation. Furthermore, specific details about the types of service and content of programming that is provided for specific groups (eg, young adults, LGBTQ people) were removed from the N-SUMHSS data release, which limits interpretation of these associations. 27 Finally, although the N-SUMHSS is a comprehensive survey with a high response rate, it does not capture every substance use and mental health care facility in the United States nor does it represent sole practitioner or small group practices. These additional practice settings may be additional points of access for screening and PrEP prescription and additional work is needed to fully  Journals (/journals)   characterize service availability and to assess the implementation context of colocation within care for StUD.

    Availability of Screening for Blood-Borne Viruses, Sexually Transmitted Infections, and HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis at US Substance Use Treatment Facilities Treating Stimulant Use Disorder · 2026 · DOI

  • The complexity of the relationship between drugs and crime. The difficulty of tracking and analyzing drug-related events. The need to consider the spatial distribution of events when developing crime prevention strategies.

    Trends and distribution of drug-related and associated events: A case study of Vilnius · 2026 · DOI

  • There is a lack of understanding of the spatial patterns of drug-related events in Vilnius, Lithuania. The relationship between drugs and crime is complex and not well understood.

    Trends and distribution of drug-related and associated events: A case study of Vilnius · 2026 · DOI

  • The lack of a state action plan creates institutional gaps that hinder coordination, definition of responsibilities, and monitoring of results at the cantonal level. The absence of operational components in strategic documents makes them difficult to apply.

    Implementation Challenges of the Drug Abuse Prevention and Suppression Strategy in Sarajevo Canton · 2026 · DOI

  • The lack of a comprehensive and coordinated approach to address drug abuse in Sarajevo Canton. The need for a multidisciplinary and integrated approach to address the complex social and institutional challenges of drug abuse.

    Implementation Challenges of the Drug Abuse Prevention and Suppression Strategy in Sarajevo Canton · 2026 · DOI

  • Findings revealed that there is no standardized treatment specifically for women, and the available government treatment facility in Limpopo Province is not sufficient for the demand that arises from women in need of SUD treatment services.

    Social workers’ perspectives on the availability and scope of substance use disorder treatment for women in South Africa · 2026 · DOI

  • The barriers to timely substance use treatment access among Indigenous people have not been well-characterized. There is a need for specialized approaches to enhance access to culturally sensitive substance use treatment and trauma support for Indigenous individuals.

    Difficulty accessing substance use treatment among Indigenous people in a Canadian inner city setting · 2026 · DOI

  • The intersection of gender, poverty, and substance use creates a care gap. The health system operates under a criminalizing logic. The lack of harm reduction strategies and public health policies.

    Qualitative-Intersectional Analysis of Access to Health Care for Pregnant Women Who Use Injectable Drugs in Mexico · 2026 · DOI

  • Although harm reduction strategies, such as syringe exchange and supervised consumption sites, have demon- strated strong evidence in reducing overdose deaths and infections such as HIV, hepatitis C, and syphilis, government responses in Mexico remain unclear and inconsistent.

    Qualitative-Intersectional Analysis of Access to Health Care for Pregnant Women Who Use Injectable Drugs in Mexico · 2026 · DOI

  • Despite escalating drug misuse in urban Ghana, integrated evidence on the drug-RSB-STI triad remains scarce, particularly for opioid substances such as tramadol and for the full spectrum of RSB practices.

    SUBSTANCE USE AS A PREDICTOR OF RISKY SEXUAL BEHAVIOR AND STI RISK AMONG URBAN YOUTH IN GHANA · 2026 · DOI

  • Social stigma and discrimination against PWIDs. Limited access to healthcare services. Language barriers and cultural sensitivity.

    Bio-behavioral Survey of HIV, Syphilis, HBV, and HCV Prevalence, Drug Use, Sexual Behavior, Knowledge, and Stigma among People who Inject Drugs in Thailand: A Respondent-driven Sampling, November 2022 to March 2023 · 2026 · DOI

  • There is a gap in knowledge about the characteristics of injecting drug users, including their knowledge of STIs and stigma experiences. Prior studies have not adequately addressed the needs of PWIDs in Thailand.

    Bio-behavioral Survey of HIV, Syphilis, HBV, and HCV Prevalence, Drug Use, Sexual Behavior, Knowledge, and Stigma among People who Inject Drugs in Thailand: A Respondent-driven Sampling, November 2022 to March 2023 · 2026 · DOI

  • There is a need to understand stakeholder perspectives on LAI PrEP and MOUD in carceral settings. There is a lack of research on the implementation of LAI formulations in jails.

    Stakeholder Perspectives on Long-Acting Injectable PrEP and MOUD: A Descriptive Qualitative Study · 2026 · DOI

  • Limited evidence on the experiences of women who inject drugs in Nigeria - Limited understanding of the social and structural conditions shaping access to healthcare and harm reduction services

    Understanding barriers to healthcare and harm reduction services among women who inject drugs in Nigeria: A qualitative assessment · 2026 · DOI

  • The highly profitable narcotics trade. The difficulty of controlling the distribution of drugs. The need for a systematic and planned approach to combat drug distribution.

    Drug Prevention Among Youth in Wael Village · 2026 · DOI

  • Community-based research (CBR) offers a participatory framework that emphasizes ethical research practices and prioritizes the needs of the communities involved; however, much of the existing guidance is grounded in urban contexts and does not account for the social and structural conditions of rural settings.

    Rethinking Community-Based Research in Rural Canadian Settings: Relational Density, Structural Vulnerability, and Ethics of Care in the Context of an Overdose Crisis · 2026 · DOI

  • The challenge of balancing public safety and public health - The challenge of addressing the needs of structurally marginalized groups - The challenge of implementing effective drug policies

    Decriminalization undone: Assessing the amendment to British Columbia’s decriminalization of personal drug possession framework · 2025 · DOI

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190 open questions have been extracted from the limitations and future-work passages of 1,849 HIV, Drug Use, Sexual Risk papers in our library. Each one below links back to the study that raised it, so you can read the original claim in context.

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