Rural-urban differences in hospitalizations for opioid use-associated infective endocarditis in Kentucky, 2016-2019.
Kamran SiddiqiPatricia R FreemanLaura C FanucchiSvetla SlavovaPublished in: The Journal of rural health : official journal of the American Rural Health Association and the National Rural Health Care Association (2021)
The estimated 2016 Kentucky rates of OUA IE hospitalizations are 2 times higher than reported national rates, highlighting Kentucky as one of the areas most affected by this particular opioid use disorder complication. Despite challenges and barriers to the effectiveness of SSPs as a harm reduction measure, our study suggests a positive effect that should be further investigated.