Publications by authors named "Myroslava Filippovych"
Article Synopsis
- Ukraine experiences a significant HIV epidemic predominantly among people who inject drugs, especially opioids, but has notably increased the use of opioid agonist therapies (OAT) between 2014 and 2021.
- A biobehavioral survey conducted on opioid-dependent people who inject drugs (PWID) in 2020-2021 revealed improvements in HIV diagnosis, care, and treatment compared to a prior survey from 2014-2015.
- The study highlights that any interaction with the OAT system—regardless of ongoing treatment—enhances HIV care engagement and treatment outcomes, demonstrating the positive impact of this approach on the overall HIV care cascade.
Article Synopsis
- Opioid agonist therapy (OAT) programs in Eastern Europe and Central Asia face sustainability challenges due to reduced funding from international sources like the Global Fund, prompting a need to assess current status and risks.
- The study evaluated OAT sustainability in Belarus, Moldova, Tajikistan, and Ukraine through qualitative data collection, including interviews and focus groups, focusing on policy, finance, and service dimensions.
- Findings revealed varying levels of OAT sustainability, with Ukraine showing the most progress, while Tajikistan faced significant risks; improvements were noted in areas like service accessibility and financial resources, but human resources showed minimal or negative development.
Introduction: Ukraine has high HIV prevalence, concentrated among people who inject drugs (PWID), mostly of opioids. Maintenance on opioid agonist therapies (OAT) is the most effective evidence-based treatment for opioid use disorder. As PWID experience high morbidity and mortality from preventable and treatable non-communicable diseases, international agencies recommend integrating OAT into primary care centers (PCC).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: HIV incidence and mortality are increasing in Ukraine despite their reductions globally, in part due to suboptimal antiretroviral therapy (ART) coverage in key populations of people with HIV (PWH) where the epidemic is concentrated. As physicians are gatekeepers to ART prescription, stigma and discrimination barriers are understudied as a key to meeting HIV treatment targets in key populations.
Methods: A national sample (N = 204) of ART-prescribing physicians in Ukraine were surveyed between August and November 2019.
Introduction: Stigma has undermined the scale-up of evidence-based HIV prevention and treatment. Negative beliefs influence clinicians' discriminatory behaviour and ultimately have wide-ranging effects across the HIV prevention and treatment continuum. Stigma among clinicians can be mitigated in several ways, including through interpersonal contact.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The Russian Federation's invasion in Ukraine has resulted social hardship, millions of internally displaced persons, the destruction of medical infrastructure, and limited access to HIV services. There is no available information regarding the impact of the war on the HIV treatment cascade among women who inject drugs (WWID) in Ukraine. In this study, we examine the barriers and facilitators of HIV detection, initiation of treatment, and adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART) among WWID.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPreliminary analysis of self-reported quality health indicators of patients on opioid agonist therapy at specialty and primary care clinics in Ukraine: A randomized control trial.
PLOS Glob Public Health
November 2022
Article Synopsis
- * Results show that PWID receiving OAT at PCCs had significantly higher composite quality health indicator (QHI) scores than those treated at specialty addiction clinics, highlighting better healthcare service delivery in the primary care setting.
- * The analysis also indicates that participants with long-term OAT use experienced even better health outcomes, emphasizing the importance of sustained treatment for improving care quality among PWID with OUD.
On March 16, 2020, Ukraine's Ministry of Health issued nonspecific interim guidance to continue enrolling patients in opioid agonist therapies (OAT) and transition existing patients to take-home dosing to reduce community COVID-19 transmission. Though the number of OAT patients increased modestly, the proportion receiving take-home dosing increased from 57.5% to 82.
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