Background: Opioid overdoses have killed almost 20,000 Canadians since 2016. To address this, Canada has established supervised consumption sites where people can use drugs in the presence of trained staff and get access to pharmacological treatments such as methadone. However, there is very little research on whether supervised consumption clients use methadone, or whether their use of methadone prevents opioid overdose. Methods: A secondary data analysis of information collected from one supervised consumption site was undertaken in order to explore relationships between client self-reported methadone dosage and subsequent observed same-day opioid overdose. Results: Statistical analysis showed no correlation between methadone usage and reduced chance of opioid overdose. However, the most common dosage of methadone reported (30mg/day) was far below the minimum therapeutic dose of methadone. Conclusion: Clients of supervised consumption sites often report being prescribed methadone, but not at a dose high enough to reduce opioid overdose.

Introduction: The entire United States has felt the effects of the overdose epidemic, but rural Appalachia has experienced disproportionate overdose deaths. This variation in overdose mortality can be attributed to the risk environment for overdose in rural Appalachia. Overdose prevention behaviors are individual level behaviors that people who inject drugs can implement that may have the potential to reduce their risk of overdose, however limited research exists regarding the utilization of those behaviors. It is important to consider how the risk environment can influence the utilization of overdose prevention behaviors among people who inject drugs. Therefore, the purpose of this research was to identify overdose prevention behaviors among people who inject drugs in rural Appalachia and better understand the relationship between those behaviors and the rural risk environment for overdose. Methods: This research was conducted using a mixed methods approach, including a scoping review, qualitative, and quantitative study. A scoping review was used to identify overdose prevention strategies and behaviors in rural America. Semi-structured interviews were used to identify overdose prevention behaviors among people who inject drugs in rural Appalachia. A quantitative survey was used to examine the relationship between risk environment determinants and overdose prevention behaviors utilization among people who inject drugs in rural Appalachia. Results: Results of primary data collection showed that people who inject drugs in rural Appalachia do utilize overdose prevention behaviors, including several drug checking methods and safe use behaviors. However, environmental barriers and disparities among people who inject drugs in rural Appalachia were highlighted in this research. Potential relationships exist between environmental determinants and the utilization of some overdose prevention behaviors. Conclusion: This research found the need for several policy and community program implications which all stem from the War on Drugs. Results highlighted the need for systems level change regarding the care for people who inject drugs, which includes the necessity for policy makers to consider harm reduction methods to reduce overdose mortality among people who live in rural Appalachia.

This study consisted of a qualitative analysis of articles from two Canadian newspapers related to North America’s only safe injection facility for drug users, Vancouver’s Insite, and examined the texts for latent themes derived from a review of harm reduction and governmentality literature. The investigation asked “In what ways are Insite and its clients represented in the media and what implications do those portrayals have in terms of Insite’s operation as a harm reduction practice as well as a governmental strategy designed to direct the conduct of drug users who visit the site?” The analysis revealed conflicting representations, some which have positive potential in terms of Insite’s adherence to the fundamental principles of harm reduction and others that undermined those principles and suggested that the site may have traditional governmental functions, perhaps indicating less distance between the harm reduction and governmentality philosophies in the discourse surrounding the SIS than expected.

This study consisted of a qualitative analysis of articles from two Canadian newspapers related to North America’s only safe injection facility for drug users, Vancouver’s Insite, and examined the texts for latent themes derived from a review of harm reduction and governmentality literature. The investigation asked “In what ways are Insite and its clients represented in the media and what implications do those portrayals have in terms of Insite’s operation as a harm reduction practice as well as a governmental strategy designed to direct the conduct of drug users who visit the site?” The analysis revealed conflicting representations, some which have positive potential in terms of Insite’s adherence to the fundamental principles of harm reduction and others that undermined those principles and suggested that the site may have traditional governmental functions, perhaps indicating less distance between the harm reduction and governmentality philosophies in the discourse surrounding the SIS than expected.

This study consisted of a qualitative analysis of articles from two Canadian newspapers related to North America’s only safe injection facility for drug users, Vancouver’s Insite, and examined the texts for latent themes derived from a review of harm reduction and governmentality literature. The investigation asked “In what ways are Insite and its clients represented in the media and what implications do those portrayals have in terms of Insite’s operation as a harm reduction practice as well as a governmental strategy designed to direct the conduct of drug users who visit the site?” The analysis revealed conflicting representations, some which have positive potential in terms of Insite’s adherence to the fundamental principles of harm reduction and others that undermined those principles and suggested that the site may have traditional governmental functions, perhaps indicating less distance between the harm reduction and governmentality philosophies in the discourse surrounding the SIS than expected.

This study consisted of a qualitative analysis of articles from two Canadian newspapers related to North America’s only safe injection facility for drug users, Vancouver’s Insite, and examined the texts for latent themes derived from a review of harm reduction and governmentality literature. The investigation asked “In what ways are Insite and its clients represented in the media and what implications do those portrayals have in terms of Insite’s operation as a harm reduction practice as well as a governmental strategy designed to direct the conduct of drug users who visit the site?” The analysis revealed conflicting representations, some which have positive potential in terms of Insite’s adherence to the fundamental principles of harm reduction and others that undermined those principles and suggested that the site may have traditional governmental functions, perhaps indicating less distance between the harm reduction and governmentality philosophies in the discourse surrounding the SIS than expected.

Glass particle contamination of medication occurs when opening ampules which may cause patient harm. The use of filter needles reduces this risk. Many anesthesia providers use ampules daily, but do not use filter needles when aspirating medications from ampules. In addition, filter needles may not be readily available at the anesthesia medication preparation site. Not using filter needles or having them available for use can increase the risk of patient harm by glass particle contamination. The purpose of this project was to increase anesthesia provider’s knowledge thereby improving compliance with evidence-based standards when preparing medications from ampules. The goal is to increase filter needle use when medication is aspirated from an ampule in order to decrease the risk of glass particle contamination to the patient. This project consisted of a one-group pre/post intervention design using a piloted self-developed survey, an education intervention, and tracking of filter needle use. The convenience sample of eighty-three recruited anesthesia providers included anesthesiologists, nurse anesthetists, and anesthesiologist assistants that consented to participate. The filter needle inventory was tracked via an existing software program to determine filter needle use three months prior and three months after the intervention. Data were collected and analyzed using descriptive statistics. The results of this project found greater awareness among participants of standards and organizations regarding filter needle use with ampules, greater awareness of availability of filter needles on anesthesia carts, and a five-fold increase in filter needle usage by participants three months following the intervention as compared to three months prior to the intervention.