Costs of syringe vending machines in Tbilisi, Georgia.

Background: Syringe vending machines (SVM) can improve access to sterile injecting equipment, but they have not been widely implemented or evaluated. We evaluate the cost of SVM installed between July 2019-December 2020 in Tbilisi, Georgia.

Methods: The SVM were stocked with several kit types, including injecting equipment for opioid or stimulant users, naloxone, male and female condoms, and pregnancy tests.

Implementation and evaluation of a syringe vending machine trial in Tbilisi, Georgia.

Background: Syringe vending machines (SVM) have proven to be an effective vehicle for providing an uninterrupted supply of sterile equipment to PWID, but they have not been implemented or disseminated broadly. The aim of this study was to implement and evaluate outcomes of introducing SVM in Tbilisi, Georgia.

Methods: We installed SVM at five HIV prevention sites in 10 locations in Tbilisi, Georgia and studied implementation over 20 months.

Smart Syringe Vending Machines: Research Capabilities and Implications for Research Data Collection.

Objective: Syringe vending machines (SVMs) are intended to supplement the standard syringe exchange programs to access hard-to-reach groups and to cover unserved geographical areas. This report describes how we adapted SVMs to deliver interventions and collect research data as part of a study of smart SVMs (SSVMs) in Tbilisi, Georgia.

Method: To create SSVMs, we upgraded commercial vending machines and developed a computer program to track and record interactions and to display messages related to study procedures.

Perceived acceptability of and willingness to use syringe vending machines: results of a cross-sectional survey of out-of-service people who inject drugs in Tbilisi, Georgia.

Background: The growing HIV epidemic in Eastern Europe and Central Asia has been driven by high rates of injection drug use. The Republic of Georgia has among the highest injection drug use rates globally, with a prevalence of 2.24%.

Republic of Georgia estimates for prevalence of drug use: Randomized response techniques suggest under-estimation.

Background: Validity of responses in surveys is an important research concern, especially in emerging market economies where surveys in the general population are a novelty, and the level of social control is traditionally higher. The Randomized Response Technique (RRT) can be used as a check on response validity when the study aim is to estimate population prevalence of drug experiences and other socially sensitive and/or illegal behaviors.

Aim: To apply RRT and to study potential under-reporting of drug use in a nation-scale, population-based general population survey of alcohol and other drug use.

Policing, massive street drug testing and poly-substance use chaos in Georgia - a policy case study.

Background: Since early 2000, intensive policing, wide scale street drug testing, and actions aimed at limiting the availability of specific drugs have been implemented in Georgia. Supporters of this approach argue that fear of drug testing and resulting punishment compels drug users to stop using and prevents youth from initiating drug use. It has been also stated that reduction in the availability of specific drugs should be seen as an indication of the overall success of counter-drug efforts.