Trialling Syringe Vending Machines in the ACT

1
Trialling Syringe Vending Machines in the ACT
David McDonald, Director, Social Research
Evaluation Pty LtdVisiting Fellow, National
Centre for Epidemiology Population Health, ANU
Preliminary findings Initial feedback
questionnaire from clients potential clients
Of 47 respondents, 28 stated that they had used
one or more of the vending machines and 20 said
they did so because the other NSP outlets were
closed at the time Almost all respondents
provided particularly supportive comments about
the SVMs Public opinion Media monitoring has
not revealed any print or electronic media
coverage of the trial since its inception and no
letters to the editor have been published on
the topic in the Canberra Times or Canberras
local community newspapers Only one complaint
has come from businesses located near the SVMs,
and that has been resolved SVMs and the NSPs In
the first 6 months of the trial, Canberra NSPs
dispensed a total of 198,611 - 1 mL
needle/syringes, the SVMs 18,428 and an
additional 38,120 were provided to pharmacies for
sale The SVM sales composed approximately 7 of
the total the July 2005 figure is 10

• The intervention
• A 12 month trial (Feb 05-Feb 06) initiated by
  the ACT Govt following an enquiry Legislative
  Assembly for the Australian Capital Territory,
  Standing Committee on Health 2003, Access to
  needles and syringes by intravenous drug users,
  report no. 5, Legislative Assembly for the
  Australian Capital Territory, Canberra
• Rationale to make available sterile injecting
  equipment to people who, for a variety of
  reasons, cannot obtain it from other outlets, or
  prefer not to do so
• A component of Canberras NSP managed by
  DirectionsACT
• Mandated by the ACT Drugs of Dependence (Syringe
  Vending Machines) Amendment Act 2004,
  lthttp//www.legislation.act.gov.au/a/2004-55/20040
  812-15737/pdf/2004-55.pdfgt
• Four electronically-operated vending machines
  installed on the walls of ACT Healths Community
  Health Centres in Canberra Civic, Belconnen,
  Tuggeranong and Phillip
• Machines owned and stocked by Vendafit Pty Ltd
• Sell rigid plastic FitPacks at a cost of 2.00
  each, containing 4 x Terumo 27 g, 1 mL, single
  use syringes, 1 x 10 ml water for injection, 4 x
  alcohol swabs, 1 x spoon, 1 x cotton balls (5
  pack) 1 x Safe injecting advice card
• Contaminated waste disposal bins are installed
  next to the SVMs
• City Rangers check for discarded injecting
  equipment in the vicinity of the SVMs at weekends
• At the commencement of the trial, an information
  sheet was distributed to people who inject drugs,
  through the various service agencies including
  NSPs, peer-support services and Community Health
  Centres, providing information on the SVMs
  including their location, contents, cost, etc.
• A question-and-answer document about the trial,
  NSPs and SVMs was also prepared for briefings and
  the media

• The trial evaluation
• Syringe vending machines (SVMs) have been
  operating in NSW for a decade and are found in
  some parts of Europe and New Zealand
• Few formal evaluations have been conducted
• Evaluations have generally found that the
  machines are used by some population groups not
  served by other outlets for sterile injecting
  equipment, e.g. young people, Indigenous people,
  those who do not identify as an injector
• Ethics approval for the evaluation provided by
  the ACT Health and Community Care Human Research
  Ethics Committee
• Evaluation research methods
• Questionnaire to clients and potential clients
  during the first weeks of the trial, seeking
  initial feedback
• SVM sales and machine operability/maintenance
  data provided monthly
• Monitoring the provision of sterile injecting
  equipment through NSP outlets, including
  community pharmacies
• Monitoring data from ACT Government agencies and
  contractors on used injecting equipment disposed
  of in public places, injecting equipment placed
  in the disposal bins adjacent to the SVMs and
  ambulance call-outs for overdoses
• Monitoring public opinion on the trial
• A financial costs analysis
• A second questionnaire to clients and potential
  clients to be administered towards the end of the
  trial, assessing their usage of the SVMs,
  opinions about them and self-reported behavioural
  changes linked to the machines availability, if
  any
• Trial evaluationprogress reports
• Two progress reports have been prepared to date,
  in May and October 2005
• The third progress report will be presented to
  ACT Health in December 2005 and the final
  evaluation report in April 2006
• Progress reports are available from the author
  or online at lthttp//www.health.act.gov.au/c/healt
  h?adadid10036533pid1057881447gt

SVM sales February - July 2005 (25 weeks)
For further information David McDonaldSocial
Research Evaluation Pty LtdPO Box 1355Woden
ACT 2606 T [phone]F [phone]E
mail_at_socialresearch.com.au