Injection Drug Users' Perceived Barriers to Using Self-Initiated Harm Reduction Strategies

Increasing the frequency with which injecting drug users (IDUs) engage in self-initiated harm reduction strategies could improve their health, but few investigations have examined IDUs' perceived barriers to engaging in these behaviors.

We interviewed 90 IDUs recruited from needle exchanges to assess: a) perceived obstacles to their use of two specific harm reduction strategies (i.e., test shots and pre-injection skin cleaning) designed to reduce two unhealthy outcomes (i.e., overdose and bacterial infections, respectively) and b) their use of other risk-reduction practices.

The most frequently cited barrier for both test shots and skin cleaning was being in a rush to inject one's drugs. Other, less commonly cited barriers were strategy-specific (e.g., buying drugs from a known dealer as a reason not to do a test shot; not having access to cleaning supplies as a reason not to clean skin). Regarding other risk reduction practices, participants' most frequently reported using new or clean injecting supplies and avoiding sharing needles and injecting supplies.

Some, but not all, of the barriers generated by participants in our study were similar to those frequently reported in other investigations, perhaps due to differences in the type of sample recruited or in the harm reduction behaviors investigated.