Best Practice Recommendations for Canadian Harm Reduction Programs

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Drug use practices that can lead to transmission of HIV, HCV, and other infections are pressing issues affecting communities throughout Canada. To stay current with emerging evidence and ensure that people have access to high-quality services that help prevent HIV and HCV transmission, best practice recommendations must undergo review and update. A Canada-wide team of researchers, service providers, policy makers and people with lived experience have developed, through extensive literature review and synthesis, an updated and comprehensive set of best practice recommendations: Best Practice Recommendations for Canadian Harm Reduction Programs that Provide Service to People Who Use Drugs and are at Risk for HIV, HCV, and Other Harms.

The document has new and improved best practice recommendations about needle and syringe distribution, other injection equipment distribution, handling and disposal of used drug-use equipment, and safer drug-use education. In addition, lots of new material can be found on safer crack cocaine smoking equipment distribution and opioid overdose prevention (education and naloxone distribution). Below are links to the full set of recommendations, individual recommendations for equipment, disposal and education, and informative one-pager summaries of the recommendations and evidence.

Together, these chapters form Part 1 of updated best practice recommendations for harm reduction programs across Canada. Part 2 is under development and should be released next year.

Best Practice Recommendations for Canadian Harm Reduction Programs that Provide Service to People Who Use Drugs and are at Risk for HIV, HCV, and Other Harms