"Människan har alltid sökt rus, vare sig det är fredagsvin eller heroin" En kvalitativ studie om attityder mot sprutbytesverksamheten i Lund och Malmö

Sammanfattning: The aim of this study was to examine attitudes surrounding the needle exchange program in Malmö and Lund in Sweden. More specifically the aim was to examine how the staff of the needle exchange program experience the attitudes surrounding the needle exchange program and if/how these attitudes affect them in their work. The analysis of nine interviews with staff members revealed similarities in how they perceived attitudes towards the workplace and the patients. All of the nine staff members were of the opinion that the program was of great importance to the patients, where they could be treated equally and receive extra help over and above the actual exchange of drug-related tools. The staff believe that negative attitudes surrounding the patients in the community and discrimination in other healthcare institutions was a result of their history of addiction and infectious diseases. The staff experienced that there were preconceived notions, fear and ignorance regarding the needle exchange program and the patients. These attitudes and negative connotations affect the staff in different ways and a few of them stated that they have had to defend the program in different forums, both professionally and socially. The staff has adjusted routines to function with its patients, to be able to make progress and in the long run becoming free of addiction. This adjustment can also be exemplified in how the staff collaborates with other departments in the hospital and certificates are signed in order to ease the contact between the patient and other departments. They have also arranged flexible opening hours and a pragmatic approach to the patients, to be able to meet and help them in a way that in the long run hopefully will change the patients’ situation. The staff are actively working towards counteracting the ignorance regarding the needle exchange program in the community and in other healthcare services and are trying to change the attitudes and defend the program in different contexts. By inviting to study visits, writing articles, lecturing and informing about the purpose of the program they are working towards changing the negative attitudes. By the start of next year there is a an amendment which hopefully means that several new needle exchange programs can start in Sweden and the staff are hoping that their work together with the addition of more programs could help to normalize the view on needle exchange programs and its patients.