M od u l e 1 : P l a n n i n g & D e s i g n N eeds A sse ssmen t In the earliest days of syringe access, many projects were initiated with minimal planning and with very little infrastructure. Activists and drug users were simply responding to an urgent crisis in their communities, where staggering numbers of people were getting infected with HIV and viral hepatitis. These programs saved countless lives and paved the way for syringe access as it exists today. Over the years, as the practice of providing sterile injection equipment to drug users has gained acceptance and credibility, lessons learned from early programs have informed later practices and recommendations. Among the activities that have evolved since the early days of syringe access is a more developed process of needs assessment. Time and resources permitting, comprehensive needs assessment can inform when, where and how the SAP is conducted. Needs assessments can survey the overall social and political landscape under which services will operate – identifying IDU needs and potential allies, while also preparing for opposition and other challenges. A thorough needs assessment – one that is done with the community as opposed to on or about it – can provide a solid foundation on which to build the program, engage stakeholders and best meet the needs of the IDU community. The needs assessment process can be pared down or enhanced depending on the individual circumstances and available resources. Needs assessments can also be the initial point of contact with many stakeholders, and present a unique opportunity to begin building trust with IDUs and other members of the community. Be as organized in your assessment as you hope to be in running the SAP, and you will gain credibility from the beginning. Take time to listen to people and hear their concerns. Failure to understand the broader community context in which SAPs operate can be detrimental to the viability and long-term sustainability of a project if not handled responsibly and with proper attention and follow-through. The core elements of a needs assessment process include: 1) Identifying all relevant stakeholders 2) Review of existing data, policy, resources and services 3) Original data collection and analysis
M ethods a n d Strat egies Appendix A provides a list of additional resources with extensive information on effective needs assessment strategies. The World Health Organization’s Rapid Assessment and Response Guide on Injection Drug Use is an important and extremely comprehensive resource with valuable suggestions for collecting information about IDU community needs. Data collection using both quantitative and qualitative methods will be valuable. Quantitative data collection includes information that can be measured numerically (for example, the number of IDUs in the community or HIV incidence rates) and is considered more objective than qualitative data collection. Quantitative data collection will rely on more precise and formal measuring instruments. Conversely, qualitative data collection is generally more descriptive and is concerned with data that can be observed as opposed to measured (for example: How does stigma affect IDU access to services? What are the barriers to practicing safer injection?) Qualitative data often involves interviews or surveys with open-ended questions (i.e., questions that require more than a single-word -9-
