What’s the cost of finding the right fit? : the cost of conducting NSP business in a range of modalities

Carla Treloar, Ross McLeod, Kenneth Yates, Limin Mao

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

4 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The aim of this study was to calculate the cost of a range of needle and syringe program (NSP) models to contribute to planning for effective NSP delivery. Existing health service data was used to estimate the cost per needle distributed across four modes of service delivery (Primary NSP, including one model of Primary NSP providing primary health care; Secondary NSP; Vending Machine and Outreach) over three years. Costs were primarily affected by the ratio of the volume of equipment distributed to staff costs. The average cost per unit for Primary, Secondary and Outreach modes was approximately $1.00. The cost for Vending Machine provision (accounting for income from service users) was the cheapest option at $0.30-0.40 per unit. When income from services users are not included in calculations, other considerations may be more important than cost when making decisions about providing access to NSP services to a marginalized client group with diverse needs.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)41-56
Number of pages16
JournalContemporary Drug Problems
Volume41
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2014

Keywords

  • Australia
  • drug addicts
  • health promotion
  • intravenous drug abuse
  • services for
  • substance abuse treatment facilities

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