Establishing safe injecting rooms in Australia: attitudes of injecting drug users.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the attitudes of injecting drug users (IDUs) towards the establishment of safe injecting rooms (SIRs) in Melbourne, Australia.


METHODS
Multi-site convenience sampling at Needle and Syringe Exchange Programs (NSEPs) within six Melbourne suburbs. Four hundred current IDUs were recruited directly through NSEP and participant snowballing. Respondents completed either a semi-structured interview, anonymous self-report questionnaire, face-to-face interview or participated in a focus group. Participants were asked to report on their knowledge and attitudes about SIR, their experiences and concerns as participants of street-based illicit drug markets, and their willingness to use SIRs if established.


RESULTS
Participants (91%) were knowledgeable about the SIR issue and thought such a strategy had potential to address both personal and wider community harms associated with public injecting. Most (77%) indicated they would be willing to use a SIR if established in Melbourne. Gender, lifetime non-fatal overdose episodes and frequency of heroin use were all significantly related to a person's willingness to use SIRs. A significant number also reported a preference for injecting at their own place of residence due to concerns regarding privacy, safety and police presence within street-based market places.


CONCLUSIONS
This study has identified a number of important issues relating to the likely demand and uptake of SIRs that should be addressed when considering the feasibility of establishing SIRs within Australia.
Fry
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Turning Point Alcohol & Drug Centre Inc., Fitzroy, Victoria. craigf@turningpoint.org.au
Fox
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Rumbold
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D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health; D003140:Communicable Disease Control / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018671:Needle-Exchange Programs; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care; D011314:Preventive Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D015819:Substance Abuse, Intravenous; D014739:Victoria