Guidance and Resources
The SHaRP team creates guidance and resources focused on data and monitoring and evaluation focused on people who use drugs, SSPs, and harm reduction programs. Below are all the guidance and resources created by the SHaRP team in alphabetical order.
Brief Overview of Data Privacy & Security Considerations at Harm Reduction Programs (last updated: May 23, 2024)
This document introduces issues data privacy and security considerations for SSPs and harm reduction programs, including the defining anonymous services and confidential services, a brief overview of HIPAA and covered entities, good practices for data privacy and security, considerations for linkage to care data, and considerations when reporting out data
Collecting Demographic Data as Syringe Services Programs (last updated: May 25, 2023)
This document introduces some issues for SSPs to consider when writing questions to collect data about race, ethnicity, and gender in order to improve accuracy, in accordance with good practices to prioritize participant safety and protect their privacy. The document also includes tips for training staff and conducting analyses.
Estimating Individual Syringe Coverage at Syringe Services Programs (last updated: July 25, 2023)
Syringe coverage is an indicator that can help SSPs and other stakeholders estimate if people who inject drugs have enough syringes to reduce risks of infections and vein damage. This guidance is focused on calculating syringe coverage for the participants of one program and for sub-groups of participants of a program (e.g. participants who are unhoused). Health departments and researchers who work with SSPs could use this information to meaningfully engage with harm reduction staff to survey people who inject drugs and assess resource gaps. This guidance is supplemented by an example spreadsheet and a brief summary of the evidence to support needs-based syringe distribution.
The recording of the webinar launching this TA can be found here.
Facilitators and barriers to monitoring and evaluation at syringe services programs (last updated, October 22, 2024)
This is an academic paper written by the SHaRP team on facilitators and barriers to monitoring and evaluation at syringe services programs.
Good Practices and Ethical Data Collection at Harm Reduction Programs: A Brief Summary (last updated: June 28, 2023)
This guidance is for harm reduction programs and for funders and others who require data from programs. This is a brief summary of good and ethical data collection and data use practices in harm reduction programs. The guidance may help programs evaluate their data collection and use practices as well as help funders and others who require harm reduction data to review which data they require.
HIV risk and prevention among clients of a delivery-based harm reduction service during an HIV outbreak among people who use drugs in northern rural Minnesota, USA. (last updated: August 31, 2023)
This academic paper was written by the SHaRP team about a point in time survey conducted by a delivery-based SSP operating out of Duluth, Minnesota.
Institutional Review Boards (IRB) Guidance for Harm Reduction Programs (last updated: October 28, 2024)
This document is to help harm reduction programs understand what an Institutional Review Board (IRB) is, what IRBs do, and when to submit a data collection plan to an IRB. We provide an overview of IRBs, explain what it means to collect data from human subjects, discuss the benefits of using an IRB, offer ways to access an IRB, and tell you what to expect when submitting for IRB review.
Is your syringe services program cost-savings to society? A methodological case study (last updated: August 28, 2021)
This academic paper was written by the SHaRP team for SSPs to consider how to calculate if their efforts are creating cost-savings by reducing HIV infections.
Leveraging Informal Qualitative Data at SSPs: Video Training
Since the development of the Leveraging Informal Qualitative Data at SSPs guidance document, we’ve led multiple online and in-person trainings of the content. On this page we have video recordings of the training materials. The videos are divided into 5 sections, with each section containing one or more videos. Descriptions of each section and links to videos are detailed below. We recommend that you watch videos in order. The recording of the webinar launching this TA can be found here.
Leveraging Informal Qualitative Data Collection and Use at Syringe Services Programs (last updated: March 27, 2023)
This document provides a brief overview of some informal approaches to qualitative data collection and analysis. Specifically, this document focuses on suggestions for how to create potential systems for informal qualitative data collection and analysis at syringe services programs (SSPs), including how to develop an overall objective for data collection. By “informal” data collection, we mean data that can be largely generated from routine service interactions as opposed to formal research activities, such as in-depth interviews, focus group discussions, or community based participatory research.
Monitoring and Evaluation Toolkit: Data Collection Methods and Pilot Testing (last updated: September 22, 2023)
The purpose of this guidance is to help syringe services programs (SSPs) and other harm reduction programs in establishing and maintaining data collection practices for program monitoring and evaluation. Programs may find this information useful if they have questions about the types of data they might collect, how they might record it, and how they might test out their methods with staff and participants. This guidance is part of a larger Monitoring and Evaluation Toolkit for SSPs that will serve as a resource for programs in all stages of the monitoring and evaluation process.
Participant Input in Harm Reduction Programs (last updated: March 27, 2023)
This short document offers an overview of participant input at SSPs and a range of resources for harm reduction programs to consult when building or changing their participant input processes.
Point in Time Survey (PiTS) Toolkit for Use at Syringe Services Programs
A Point in Time Survey (PiTS) allows a syringe services program (SSP) to ask a standardized set of questions from a portion of their clients, providing a snapshot of the population that the SSP serves. These surveys can be a quick and low-cost way to learn about the characteristics, needs, and service utilization patterns of their clients. This 6 part toolkit (Intro, Planning Phase, Design Phase, Implementation Phase, Analysis Phase, Dissemination Phase) has instruction (i.e. written guidance and recorded sessions) and tools (i.e. templates, examples) for SSPs doing a PiTS.
Population Size Estimation of People Who Inject Drugs: An Overview of Methodologies (last updated: March 4, 2024)
This document provides an overview of the different methods and considerations for estimating the size of the population who injects drugs. It is primarily intended for local health departments, academia, and other community-based organizations.
Qualitative Data Quality at Harm Reduction Programs Webinar (last updated: October 23, 2024)
On this webinar recording (September 19th, 2024) from the SHaRP team reviews and discusses common sources of qualitative data at SSPs, identifies some good practices for collecting qualitative data, and determines how to set an objective using and assess the quality of pre-existing qualitative data.
REDCap Basics for Syringe Services Programs (last updated: August 28, 2024)
This is a short guide for harm reduction programs and syringe service programs (SSPs) considering using REDCap for their data collection and management created by the Supporting Harm Reduction Programs (SHaRP) team at the University of Washington. It reviews basic information about REDCap, strengths and challenges for use with SSPs, and the main ways to access REDCap.
SSP Indicators Implementation Guide (last updated: August, 2024)
In 2023 and 2024 the SHaRP team worked to create a list of community informed indicators, or data points, that we could recommend SSPs collect. The guidance includes an introduction and webinar recording, project background and methods, detailed information on each indicator divided by topic (supply and service provision, service coverage, service quality, engagement with people who use drugs, overdose prevention, demographics, and structural violence); an implementation checklist, and a brief to funders.
Summary of the Evidence for Needs-Based Syringe Distribution (last updated: July, 2023)
This summarizes the peer-reviewed evidence that supports needs-based syringe distribution (up until July, 2023) for SSPs, stakeholders, or governmental officials looking to support or build support for allowing needs-based distribution. It also includes a section on tips on messaging. A recording of a webinar that covers this, and estimating syringe coverage, can be found here.
Using M&E to Better Serve Your Community: A Four-Part Webinar Series for Health Departments and SSPs in collaboration with the National Association of City and County Health Officials (NACCHO). These webinars, held over the course of 2021 and 2022 covered topics including client-centered models for M&E, statewide data systems, data dashboards for M&E, and the launch of the Point in Time Survey Toolkit.
Using Unique Identifiers Within Syringe Services Programs (last updated: March 10, 2023)
This guide is intended for syringe services programs (SSPs) and SSP funders to support their understanding of data collection and monitoring. It provides an overview of the benefits and drawbacks of implementing unique identifiers (UID) as a method of data collection. The guide includes considerations for SSPs considering implementing a UID system and considerations for funders who are considering requiring individual-level data from grant recipients.
What Can Your Data Do for You? in collaboration with AIDS United and the National Association of City and County Health Officials (NACCHO). July 6, 2022. A webinar recording about how to use program data in grant applications and drafting program evaluations. (Slides available here.)