How should drug checking services share information to reduce harm beyond individual service users? In this presentation we will review various types of public outputs from drug checking services worldwide and discuss considerations for designing these outputs in ways that are responsive to local needs and contexts. We conducted a scoping review of drug checking services globally, alongside consultations with Victorian communities. We identify five types of public outputs: drug notifications (alerts), individual sample results, public dashboards, regular service reports, and education and harm reduction supplements. We also discuss five broad areas of consideration: choosing what data to collect and report, choosing how to share outputs, considering audience and purpose, considering context, and establishing data systems. To conclude, we discuss specific tensions raised by the community and the alcohol and other drugs sector.
Designing public outputs from drug checking services: lessons for Victoria
Monica Barratt | Senior Research Fellow, RMIT University
Dr Monica Barratt is a senior drugs-policy researcher at RMIT University. Monica has provided critical evidence to various Australian coroners about further ways in which we can prevent drug-related deaths. She also serves as the Executive Director of Bluelight.org, a global drug harm-reduction community, and leads research activities for The Loop Australia, a drug-checking service provider.
Credited Persons
Isabelle Volpe | Research Assistant, RMIT University
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