Needle Exchange Surveillance Initiative (NESI)
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Needle Exchange Surveillance Initiative (NESI) - Scotland
IRAS ID
353290
Contact name
Sharon J Hutchinson
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Public Health Scotland
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 2 months, 31 days
Research summary
The Needle Exchange Surveillance Initiative (NESI) is a series of cross-sectional surveys that have taken place approximately every two years since 2008. NESI aims to monitor the health and behaviours of people who inject drugs (PWID) in Scotland. The next survey will take place in 2025-26 and will be funded by (and undertaken in collaboration with) Public Health Scotland (PHS), supplemented by funding from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). It takes approximately 12-13 months to complete a survey round, which will involve recruitment from all mainland NHS Boards in Scotland. As with previous surveys, participants will be recruited at needle exchange sites. They will complete an interviewer-led questionnaire and provide a blood spot sample, which will be tested for blood-borne viruses (BBV) - specifically, hepatitis C virus (HCV), HIV and hepatitis B virus (HBV).
NESI is crucial for understanding and addressing drug-related health issues among PWID. It helps identify new trends in drug use, tracks the spread of BBV, and assesses how well harm reduction programmes and other interventions are working. The next planned survey will build on the information collected over the past 15 years to provide updated and robust evidence; and particularly will help track Scotland's progress toward HCV elimination and HIV transmission elimination. These surveys will also examine how the newly opened Safer Drug Consumption Facility (SDCF) in Glasgow is being used and the impact it is having.
REC name
West of Scotland REC 3
REC reference
25/WS/0047
Date of REC Opinion
1 Apr 2025
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion