Needle exchange services: A profile of service users in community pharmacies and other settings

Abstract

Objective: To compare client profiles and activity data from the pharmacy needle exchanges (PNEXs) with other needle exchanges (NEXs) in a UK city. Method: Routinely collected data from four types of needle exchange services were used to analyse levels of activity and user profiles. Simple descriptive statistics with 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were calculated. Setting: In Glasgow, Scotland, at the time of the study NEX was provided at four key facilities: (1) PNEXs; (2) drug treatment service sites (Glasgow Drug Problem Service, GDPS); (3) a drop-in service for female prostitutes (Base 75); and (4) a service based in a 24-hour crisis assessment and treatment centre (Glasgow Drug Crisi..