Qualitative accounts of needle and syringe cleaning techniques among people who inject drugs in Sydney, Australia

Drug and Alcohol Review
Jai NathaniLisa Maher

Abstract

Cleaning needles/syringes is an important second-line harm reduction strategy, yet there is limited information on practices employed by people who inject drugs in Australia. This study attempts to identify and assess cleaning practices in terms of the techniques involved and the social contexts in which cleaning takes place. As part of an exploratory qualitative study in south-west Sydney, in-depth interviews and simulated cleaning exercises were conducted with 12 people who inject drugs. Interviews were digitally recorded and transcribed verbatim. Open coding was used to inductively classify data into themes, and data were examined for patterns and variations in the relationships within and between themes. Data indicate that cleaning and reuse of needles/syringes was common in this small sample. The most frequently utilised reagent was cool water. While all participants reported cleaning and reusing only their own equipment, none of the techniques demonstrated would have been sufficient to deactivate human immunodeficiency virus or hepatitis C virus. Results suggest that even where cleaning of needles and syringes is widespread, people who inject drugs may not engage in efficacious cleaning. The combination of the complexity ...Continue Reading

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