51. Educational sessions and changes in injection practices in the Mobile Drug Consumption Room in Lisbon: some case study examples
October 20, 2022 2022-10-21 0:1551. Educational sessions and changes in injection practices in the Mobile Drug Consumption Room in Lisbon: some case study examples
51. Educational sessions and changes in injection practices in the Mobile Drug Consumption Room in Lisbon: some case study examples
51. Educational sessions and changes in injection practices in the Mobile Drug Consumption Room in Lisbon: some case study examples
Joana Pires; Medicos do Mundo; Portugal
Angela Leite; Grupo de Ativistas em Tratamentos; Portugal
Joao Caldas; Grupo de Ativistas em Tratamentos; Portugal
Helena Goncalves; Medicos do Mundo; Portugal
Paula Gala; Medicos do Mundo; Portugal
Learning objectives:
- Understand the main educational sessions related to injected consumption. How to adopt injected consumption best practices.
- Nurse’s intervention in the moments of consumption. How consumption practices evolve with the intervention of educational sessions.
Abstract:
The Mobile Drug Consumption Room (MDCR) is a health response that provides a safer and sanitized space for drug use, access to consumption material, supervision and assistance during injection, being effective in reducing the number of overdoses deaths. MDCRs team provides educational sessions (ES) on safer injection and consumption practices. This intervention helps manage various risks and make people who inject drugs (PWID) to adopt lessons learned even outside the MDCR. A case study methodology was used, with the analysis of 6 PWID who used the MDCR more consistently during 2021. Data from the records of each consumption and the respective ES held were analyzed. All participants improved or maintained their injection practices in terms of puncture site and needle gauge adequacy throughout the year. At least in 75% of consumptions, ES were held and the most discussed topics were hand washing and compression of the puncture site. In people with poor hygiene care, there was the need to reinforce the teaching of injection site disinfection, for vein maintenance. There were less teachings present during consumption, when people needed assisted puncture, resulting from the help of nurses, and more ES during consumption in people with autonomous puncture. Also frequent during the ES was the negotiation of the dose, especially among the most vulnerable PWID. Supervised consumption and tailored education on safer injection allows us to better understand and address the main difficulties of users, by promoting safer consumption practices, and reducing health complications associated with unsafe injection.