The potential and viability of establishing a Supervised Injecting Facility (SIF) in Melbourne

The following provides a summary of evidence generated through a review of published and unpublished literature and key expert consultation. It outlines a position on the potential and viability of a Supervised Injecting Facility (SIF) in Melbourne.

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Prevention and Evaluation Resources Kit (PERK)

This manual compiles basic but evidence-based prevention principles, planning rules and evaluation tips. Additionally, it provides related documentation or references for download; it is hoped that this additional material will be particularly useful for readers who have difficulty accessing the scientific prevention literature. To illustrate the theoretical discussion, an intervention example, partly based on a real-life situation, gives a practical perspective.

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Ethical challenges in drug epidemiology: issues, principles and guidelines

The Global Assessment Programme on Drug Abuse (GAP) Toolkit Module 7: Ethical challenges in drug epidemiology: issues, principles and guidelines, was prepared by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime as part of the activities of GAP. The main objectives of GAP are to help countries to (a) collect reliable and internationally comparable data on drug abuse; (b) build capacity at the local level to collect data that can guide demand reduction activities; and (c) improve cross-national,regional and global reporting on drug trends.

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Best infection control practices for intradermal, subcutaneous, and intramuscular needle injections

In transitional and developing countries where unnecessary injections are common, the average number of health care injections per person was estimated to be 3.7 per year (this includes all health care injections, including those given to diabetics for administering insulin) . Many injections, as well as being unnecessary, are also unsafe. Each year, the reuse of injection equipment may cause 20 million infections with hepatitis B virus (HBV), 2 million infections with hepatitis C virus (HCV), and 250 000 infections with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) worldwide These chronic infections lead to a high burden of morbidity and mortality.

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Intranasal Naloxone: Overcoming Opioid Overdose

Naloxone has been approved and used since 1971 as an antidote to respiratory failure during opioid overdose, primarily by emergency medical services. Research is accumulating to suggest that this agent administered intranasally by caregivers at home may have even far-greater lifesaving potential.

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HARM REDUCTION AND HIV

Harm reduction is a way of dealing with behavior that damages the health of the person involved and of their community. Harm reduction tries to improve individual and community health.
Much of the work on harm reduction has been in connection with drug use. This fact sheet focuses on harm reduction applied to drug use and HIV.

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IHRA Release Position Statement Defining Harm Reduction

After months of discussion and consultation with partners, the International Harm Reduction Association (IHRA) Board of Directors and staff have released a detailed position statement defining the term ‘harm reduction’. The statement outlines a set of underlying principles which best describe this approach, and offers the following definition:

‘Harm Reduction’ refers to policies, programmes and practices that aim primarily to reduce the adverse health, social and economic consequences of the use of legal and illegal psychoactive drugs without necessarily reducing drug consumption.Harm reduction benefits people who use drugs, their families and the community.
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Guidance on Provider-initiated Voluntary Medical Examination, Testing and Counselling for Infectious Diseases in Injecting Drug Users

This document addresses basic operational guidance on provider-initiated medical examination, testing and counselling with regard to infectious diseases in injecting drug users (IDUs). This is accompanied by a recommended package of prevention and primary care in relation to injecting drug users and infections. ( EMCDDA)

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Working with active drug users

Harm Reduction Coalition Bulletin

The lack of formal training and the minimal attention paid to substance use often contributes to misunderstandings, negative attitudes and stigmatization of drug use and drug users. The stigmatized nature of illicit drug use is in no way limited to the medical profession; negative perceptions of drug users are quite prevalent in the general population and have serious consequences for drug user health and medical services.

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Development of a Parents’ Resource Manual Booklet: Litrerature review

Purpose of the Literature Review:
To conduct a comprehensive review of international and national research and literature in order to:
· Identify and document best practice with regard to primary and secondary prevention of
substance use (completed in part 1)
· Identify and document the range and levels of current programmes, strategies, interventions and
resources available for parents in this regard (completed in part 2)

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