An examination of contents of confiscated injecting equipment and needlestick injuries in prisons

NDARC Staff

Kate Dolan and Sarah Larney

Aims

The aims of this project are:

• to provide evidence, other than self-report data, on the level of syringe sharing that occurs in prison
• to provide evidence, other than self-report data, on the level of syringe cleaning that occurs in prison
• to provide evidence, other than self-report data, of HIV positive and/or hepatitis C positive inmates engaging in syringe sharing in prison

  Design and Method

  
  

This study involved a cross-sectional survey and testing of biological samples. Prison officers in Western Australia and Victoria completed a survey about their experiences with needles and syringes in prison, including needlestick injuries. Approximately 30 syringes were collected from these states and the contents were tested for hepatitis C virus RNA.

Benefits

This study has highlighted needlestick injuries as an occupational health and safety concern for prison officers.

Output

Data from these surveys were presented at the following conferences:

Larney, S. Injecting drug use in prisons: Occupational needlestick injuries and evidence of multiple users and blood borne viral infections in prison syringes. Paper presented at the Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol and other Drugs Conference, Cairns, 2006.

Larney, S. Needlestick injuries among prison officers in two Australian states. Paper presented at the International Prisoner Health Conference, Varna, Bulgaria, 2007.

A paper has also been published:

Larney, S., & Dolan, K. (2008). An exploratory study of needlestick injuries among Australian prison officers. International Journal of Prisoner Health, 4, 164-168.

Funding

Unilife Medical Solutions through Unitract Syringe Pty Ltd