Drug Misuse - Harm Reduction Flashcards
1
Q
What are the risks of injecting of heroin?
A
- Physical dependence leading to crime
- Overdose
- HIV infection
- Hepatitis Infection
- Bacterial Infection
- Damaged Veins
2
Q
What do we need to accept about drug misusers and how do we give it to drug misusers?
A
ACCEPT that a proportion of people will continue to inject drugs + help them do so as safely as possible.
Should be:
- In language that can be understood by the drug misusers
- Achievable for drug misusers
Should NOT be:
- biased
- designed to ‘scare’
3
Q
What 3 areas should be covered when giving advice to drug misusers?
A
- Preparation of drugs for injection
- Do wash your hands, use sterile equipment etc.
- Don’t use more than 1 drug, or crush tablets etc. - Advice on injecting sites
- Avoid femoral vein or veins in neck, penis, or breast. - Advice on injecting technique
- Don’t share equipment
- Use smallest needle, use tourniquet, inject towards heart
4
Q
How can we reduce the harm associated with injecting?
A
- Provide education on safe injecting
- Provide + supply sterile injecting equipment
- Provide clean/sterile paraphernalia
- Accept the return of used injecting equipment for safe disposal
5
Q
What is the 4-tiered system for treatment issues by the dept. of health?
A
Tier 1: General Services - General health, housing etc. Tier 2: Open Access Services - Advice + Info - Harm reduction Tier 3: Community Services - Community Prescribing Tier 4: Specialist Services - Inpatient and residential rehabilitation
6
Q
What agencies are available to support drug users?
A
Sterile injecting equipment service
- Can provide to drug misusers + some paraphernalia like cookers, citric acid etc
- ENHANCED level community pharmacy contract
Manchester City Council
- Health and Wellbeing Board:
Alcohol, Drug and substance abuse (NHS services, community pharmacy needle exchange, CGL, Manchester Integrated drug and alcohol service)
