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Increased access to unrestricted pharmacy sales of syringes in Seattle-King County, Washington: structural and individual-level changes, 1996 versus 2003.

Deibert RJ, Goldbaum G, Parker TR, Hagan H, Marks R, Hanrahan M, Thiede H

Health Services Department, School of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, USA. ryan.j.deibert@state.or.us

We examined pharmacists' attitudes and practices related to syringe sales to injection drug users before and after legal reform and local programming to enhance sterile syringe access. We replicated a 1996 study by conducting pharmacist phone surveys and syringe test-buys in randomly selected pharmacies. Test-buy success increased from 48% in 1996 to 65% in 2003 (P=.04). Pharmacists agreeing that syringes should be available to injection drug users through pharmacy purchase increased from 49% to 71% (P<.01). Pharmacy policies and pharmacist attitudes were strongly associated with syringe access. Structural changes, including policy reform and pharmacy outreach, appear to increase syringe access. Interventions should address pharmacy policies and pharmacist attitudes and policies.

Published 25 July 2006 in Am J Public Health, 96(8): 1347-53.
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