ArticleHarm reduction journal2022
Time-series analysis of presentations to four syringe dispensing machines and a needle and syringe programme during COVID-19 lockdowns in Melbourne, Australia.
Article in Harm reduction journal, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The trial behind it
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Who cites it
6 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 7 citations in OpenAlex.
- Vending machines for reducing harm associated with substance use and use disorders, and co-occurring conditions: a systematic review.Harm reduction journal · 2025Pooled it
- "New Normal:" Opportunities and Challenges Faced by Syringe Service Programs Following the Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic.Substance use & misuse · 2025Article
- "No-one just does drugs during business hours!": evaluation of a 24/7 primary needle and syringe program in St Kilda, Australia.Harm reduction journal · 2024Article
- Epidemiology of acute infections in people who inject drugs in Australia.Drug and alcohol review · 2024Review
- Exploring the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on healthcare and substance use service access among women who inject drugs: a qualitative study.Harm reduction journal · 2023Article
- Analysis of four syringe dispensing machine point-of-access data 2017-2020 in Melbourne, Australia: machine utilisation and client demographics.Harm reduction journal · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundAustralian harm reduction services are provided via a mix of modalities, including fixed-site needle and syringe programmes (NSP) and syringe-dispensing machines (SDMs). SDMs are cost-effective and provide 24-h anonymous access to needles/syringes, often to underserved geographic areas, and can attract clientele who may choose not to use NSPs. The introduction of COVID-19 control measures saw disruptions and adaptations to the provision of harm reduction services. It is possible that SDMs filled the gap in otherwise disrupted harm reduction services in Melbourne. In this paper, we use data from four SDMs and an NSP to explore changes to harm reduction usage during periods of COVID-19 lockdowns in Melbourne, Australia, in 2020.
methodsOur data span September 2017-December 2020. We analysed daily counts of SDM use and monthly counts of NSP use, according to unique presentations to both. Auto-regressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) time-series models were fitted to the data with the effects of lockdowns estimated via a step function.
resultsAcross the study period, we estimated 85,851 SDM presentations and 29,051 NSP presentations. Usage across both the SDMs and the NSP declined during the COVID-19 lockdowns, but only the decline in SDM usage was significant in ARIMA analysis.
conclusionsThe slight, but significant decline in SDM use suggests barriers to access, though this may have been mitigated by SDM users acquiring needles/syringes from other sources. The decline, however, may be a concern if it led to lowered needle/syringe coverage and a subsequent increase in injecting risk. Further work is needed to properly explore potential changes in preference for needle/syringe acquisition site and associated barriers. Importantly, this work adds to the body of literature around the impacts of COVID-19 on harm reduction provision and potential areas of improvement.
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