Mapping bodies and care practices
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Mapping bodies and care practices: Making people who use drugs matter
IRAS ID
249447
Contact name
Fay Dennis
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Goldsmiths, University of London
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 9 months, 0 days
Research summary
Death is the most serious form of drug-related harm. Drug-related deaths are at an all-time high in the UK. People who use opiates make up the vast majority of those lives lost. There is little qualitative research exploring this trend.
The proposed research project will use a qualitative three-stage methodological design to explore what makes people who use drugs (in particular, opiates) vulnerable to harm and death, how this is sought to be prevented, and what more can be done. The data collection methods in the first stage of the design will include conducting in-depth interviews with 15-25 people who use drugs (predominantly opiates); 5-15 drug service providers (including shadowing their treatment/care practices); and, if possible, 5-15 family members of those who have died in drug-related circumstances. I will observe at the drug service for one-day a week for 3-6 months to contextualise and inform the questions asked. The second stage of the design will invite people who use drug (predominantly opiates) to map their experiences, including what might put them at risk of harm, through a series of creative ‘body mapping’ workshops. This will allow a more intimate account of these risks and flesh out elements of their experiences that cannot be reached through words alone. In the final stage of the methodology, these workshop outputs will be exhibited to inform and engage the public, including service providers and policy makers, to improve understanding and empathy towards people who use drugs. I will survey and interview 10-15 attendees of this public engagement event to establish how knowledge is produced and consumed on drug-related harm and death, and the impact that this kind of interaction can have on public opinion and social responsibility.REC name
London - Harrow Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
18/LO/1333
Date of REC Opinion
17 Oct 2018
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion