[Insight on how to assess and improve the response to the COVID-19 pandemic].

The COVID-19 pandemic has hit Spain particularly hard, despite being a country with a developed economy and being praised for the robustness of its national health system. In order to understand what happened and to identify how to improve the response, we believe that an independent multi-disciplinary evaluation of the health, political and socio-economic spheres is essential. In this piece we propose objectives, principles, methodology and dimensions to be evaluated, as well as outlining the type of results and conclusions expected.

[Use and evaluation of the health care services and the antirretroviral medication in HIV diagnosed people].

Aim: To analyze the use or not of antirretrovirals (ART) human inmunodeficiency virus (HIV) diagnosed people in relation to the utilization and evaluation of the health care services and sociodemographic profiles.

Methods: The data was collected with a questionnaire to 108 HIV people, in the city of Granada (Spain) between July and September 2005. Participants were contacted from three sources: infectious diseases service, HIV's nongovernmental association and from the street through peers.

Inconsistent condom use among socially excluded heroin users.

The study focused in sexual behaviour among socially excluded heroin users, identifying factors associated with inconsistent condom use. Data was collected in the cities of Granada and Seville between July and October 2000, through a structured questionnaire, to 391 participants. Twenty two and 15% of participants have made consistent use of condoms in vaginal sex in the last year with occasional and regular partners respectively.

Factors associated with reported hepatitis C and HIV among injecting drug users in ten European cities.

Background: To analyze self-reported prevalence of HCV and HIV in a sample of socially excluded injecting drug users, as well as factors associated with the presence of these diseases.

Methods: Cross-sectional study. Data were collected with a structured, face-to-face questionnaire by outreach workers and privileged access interviewers in 1131 participants who had injected heroin and/or cocaine over the past year (71.

Controlled trial of prescribed heroin in the treatment of opioid addiction.

Aim: This study aimed to assess the efficacy of the prescription of intravenous diacetylmorphine (DAM) versus oral methadone with medical and psychosocial support, with a view of improving physical and mental health as well as social integration among socially excluded, opioid-dependent individuals for whom standard treatments have failed.

Design: This study used an open, randomized controlled trial.

Setting: This study took place in Granada, Spain.

Drugs and social exclusion in ten European cities.

Aim: To describe social characteristics seen among socially excluded drug users in 10 cities from 9 European countries, and identify which social exclusion indicators (i.e. housing, employment, education) are most closely linked to intravenous drug use.

[The experimental drug prescription program in Andalusia [PEPSA]: procedure for recruiting participants].

In this field note we describe the steps followed in the process of recruiting participants for the experimental drug prescription program in Andalusia (PEPSA). This trial is a comparative, randomized, open study of the difference between intravenous heroin treatment and oral methadone for socially excluded, opiate-dependent patients, in whom other available treatments have been unsuccessful. Because this is a hidden and hard-to-reach population, a specific approach was planned to put as many patients as possible in touch with the program.