Pharmacy access to sterile syringes for injection drug users: attitudes of participants in a syringe exchange program.
OBJECTIVE
To examine attitudes of participants of a van-based syringe exchange program (SEP) toward the hypothetical prospect of pharmacy-based syringe access.


METHODS
One-time, cross-sectional survey.


METHODS
Baltimore, Maryland.


METHODS
206 injection drug users who participate in the Baltimore SEP.


METHODS
Face-to-face interviews.


METHODS
Location preferred for obtaining syringes, drug and syringe use, past experience with pharmacies, and willingness to pay.


RESULTS
The sample was 67% men, 95% African American, and 95% unemployed; mean age was 39.8 years. A total of 19% of respondents had bought syringes at a pharmacy during the prior six months. Some 37% reported having been turned down when asking for syringes at a pharmacy, most commonly due to lack of identification to prove diabetic status (50%). If legal restrictions were lifted, 92% of respondents would obtain syringes from pharmacies, and would be willing to pay a mean price of $0.80 (median = $1.00) per syringe. Women were more likely than men to report the intention to switch from van-based SEP to pharmacy (57% versus 38%, p = .045).


CONCLUSIONS
If current legal restrictions were lifted, pharmacies would be a viable syringe source appealing particularly to women, suggesting gender-specific access issues that should be addressed. The per-syringe price that study participants would be willing to pay exceeds typical retail prices, suggesting that pharmacists could charge enough per syringe to recoup operational costs.
Junge
B
B
Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene & Public Health, Baltimore, USA. bjunge@jhsph.edu
Vlahov
D
D
Riley
E
E
Huettner
S
S
Brown
M
M
Beilenson
P
P
D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health; D015142:Baltimore; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000188:drug therapy; D005260:Female; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018671:Needle-Exchange Programs; D010594:Pharmacies; D015819:Substance Abuse, Intravenous / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013594:Syringes / Q000191:economics