Qualitative accounts of needle and syringe cleaning techniques among people who inject drugs in Sydney, Australia.

Introduction And Aims: Cleaning needles/syringes is an important second-line harm reduction strategy, yet there is limited information on practices employed by people who inject drugs in Australia. This study attempts to identify and assess cleaning practices in terms of the techniques involved and the social contexts in which cleaning takes place.

Design And Methods: As part of an exploratory qualitative study in south-west Sydney, in-depth interviews and simulated cleaning exercises were conducted with 12 people who inject drugs.