Nursing harm reduction education and care for people who use drugs or who engage in sex work.

Abstract

Harm reduction is an evidence-based approach that could promote health equity through the implementation of pragmatic strategies for people who use drugs or who engage in sex work. The purposes of this study were to describe whether nurses received harm reduction education in their nursing programs, whether nurses are practicing harm reduction, and strategies for integrating harm reduction within nursing curriculum. An online survey was delivered to nurses and an interview with a nurse harm reductionist was conducted. Among the 30 survey participants, only 17% (n=5) stated they were taught about harm reduction in their nursing programs. On average, survey participants practiced harm reduction less than "half of the time" by meeting people where they are in their drug use or sex work. The nurse harm reductionist described how harm reduction should be taught as a skillset for evidence-based nursing practice. By incorporating harm reduction principles into nursing education and nursing practice, nurses can provide competent care for people who use drugs or who engage in sex work.