Is point of access to needles and syringes related to needle sharing? Comparing data collected from pharmacies and needle and syringe programs in south‐east Sydney

Bryant, Joanne; Topp, Libby; Hopwood, Max; Iversen, Jenny; Treloar, Carla; Maher, Lisa

doi:10.1111/j.1465-3362.2009.00154.x

Cited by 23 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 21 publications

(21 reference statements)

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“…Also, our sample was recruited from pharmacies as part of a larger study that was conducted for a different purpose. We know from previous research that pharmacyrecruited respondents more commonly engage in syringe sharing than respondents recruited from other venues such as NSP [22,23]. Future research examining syringe coverage among Australian PWID should sample from a broader range of syringe distribution venues.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Generally, studies that use Bluthenthal's measure of syringe coverage have based their calculations on syringes obtained from needle and syringe programs (NSP). There is evidence to show that PWID obtain their sterile equipment from multiple sources such as pharmacies [22][23][24] and peers [25][26][27], and some researchers have identified the need for syringe coverage indicators to include these in their calculations [28].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Syringe Coverage in an Australian Setting: Does a High Level of Syringe Coverage Moderate Syringe Sharing Behaviour?

Bryant¹,

Paquette²,

Wilson³

2011

AIDS Behav

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We examined individual-level syringe coverage among 417 people who inject drugs who were recruited from pharmacies in New South Wales in 2009. There was a U-shaped distribution of syringe coverage with many people having very high (51%) or very low (23%) coverage. Overall, two-thirds of respondents (63%) reported adequate coverage (≥ 100%). Respondents who had not used a needle and syringe program in the previous month were more likely to report inadequate coverage (AOR 2.25, 95% CI 1.25-4.05) as were those who reported daily or more frequent injecting (AOR 3.69, 95% CI 2.00-6.81). Inadequate syringe coverage was not independently associated with receptive needle sharing. The level of syringe coverage was high among this sample, and met targets set out by UNAIDS and other organisations. We found that inadequate syringe coverage was not independently correlated with receptive needle sharing, possibly because coverage is sufficient to diminish the relationship between syringe availability and sharing behaviours.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Syringe Coverage in an Australian Setting: Does a High Level of Syringe Coverage Moderate Syringe Sharing Behaviour?

Bryant¹,

Paquette²,

Wilson³

2011

AIDS Behav

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“…33 In addition, Australian research comparing IDUs surveyed at NSPs with those surveyed at pharmacies found that most IDUs used both venues to obtain needles and syringes; only a small proportion (17%) reported exclusive use of pharmacies. 34 …”

Section: Limitationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reduction in HCV Incidence Among Injection Drug Users Attending Needle and Syringe Programs in Australia: A Linkage Study

et al. 2013

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A decline in HCV incidence among Australian IDUs attending NSPs coincided with considerable expansion of harm reduction programs and a likely reduction in the number of IDUs, associated with significant changes in drug markets. Our results demonstrate the capacity of repeat cross-sectional serosurveillance to monitor trends in HCV incidence and provide a platform from which to assess the impact of prevention and treatment interventions.

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“…Pharmacy-recruited participants are an ideal comparison group as it has been previously reported that exclusive pharmacy users are more likely to engage in BBV-related risk behaviours when compared to exclusive users of needle and syringe programs [21]. PWID who use pharmacies are thus a group of interest that should be captured by behavioural surveillance sampling methods.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Respondent-Driven Sampling and the Recruitment of People with Small Injecting Networks

2011

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Respondent-driven sampling (RDS) is a form of chain-referral sampling, similar to snowball sampling, which was developed to reach hidden populations such as people who inject drugs (PWID). RDS is said to reach members of a hidden population that may not be accessible through other sampling methods. However, less attention has been paid as to whether there are segments of the population that are more likely to be missed by RDS. This study examined the ability of RDS to capture people with small injecting networks. A study of PWID, using RDS, was conducted in 2009 in Sydney, Australia. The size of participants' injecting networks was examined by recruitment chain and wave. Participants' injecting network characteristics were compared to those of participants from a separate pharmacy-based study. A logistic regression analysis was conducted to examine the characteristics independently associated with having small injecting networks, using the combined RDS and pharmacy-based samples. In comparison with the pharmacy-recruited participants, RDS participants were almost 80% less likely to have small injecting networks, after adjusting for other variables. RDS participants were also more likely to have their injecting networks form a larger proportion of those in their social networks, and to have acquaintances as part of their injecting networks. Compared to those with larger injecting networks, individuals with small injecting networks were equally likely to engage in receptive sharing of injecting equipment, but less likely to have had contact with prevention services. These findings suggest that those with small injecting networks are an important group to recruit, and that RDS is less likely to capture these individuals.

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Is point of access to needles and syringes related to needle sharing? Comparing data collected from pharmacies and needle and syringe programs in south‐east Sydney

Abstract: The high prevalence of receptive equipment sharing among pharmacy clients indicates a need to improve access to needles and syringes and ancillary equipment, possibly by including ancillary equipment at no cost in existing pre-packaged pharmacy products.

Cited by 23 publications

References 21 publications

Syringe Coverage in an Australian Setting: Does a High Level of Syringe Coverage Moderate Syringe Sharing Behaviour?

Syringe Coverage in an Australian Setting: Does a High Level of Syringe Coverage Moderate Syringe Sharing Behaviour?

Reduction in HCV Incidence Among Injection Drug Users Attending Needle and Syringe Programs in Australia: A Linkage Study

Respondent-Driven Sampling and the Recruitment of People with Small Injecting Networks

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