On the 8th of October I delivered a presentation at the National Conference on Injecting Drug Use focused on the Sharing issues of injecting drug use. I co-delivered this with Helen Wilks the chair of the National Needle Exchange Forum. In todays post I'm including both the 'prezi' presentation and the original abstract.
Presentation
Here is the prezi we used. The presentation was attended by over 30 people.
If you've never seen a prezi presentation before I'd recommend clicking on 'More' and running at fullscreen. However I would NOT advise using autoplay, it will go far too fast and leave you feeling a bit sea sick.
Abstract
It's a question in every drug services assessment; "Have you shared in the last 4 weeks?". Pressures on drug workers for data collection and rapid completion of assessments mean that we often do not go beyond this standard question and pick apart the question or the answer. In reality, the possible replies to this question are far more complex than a simple yes or no.
Research has shown that the more sharing behaviour is discussed, the more accurate an answer is gained from this question. "Sharing" has become common parlance within drug work, arguably to the point that it has become jargonised. Discussions pertaining to sharing terminology may contain implicit assumptions; both drug users and those professionals working with them may not fully understand the complexity of sharing behaviour if what it involves is not explicitly explored.
This practical and interactive based workshop will examine many of the other factors workers should consider when talking with someone about their sharing risks. The session will also help delegates develop better working approaches to reduce these sharing risk behaviours and encourage them to take back good practice to share within the workplace with colleagues.
