Who are addressed our courses?

The Harmreduction.eu platform provides learning tools to assist in  building knowledge and skills for more effective work with prisoners who have a drug misuse problem or are at risk of infections. It is open to practitioners from different fields working in prison, or having an interest in prison health.

The online courses provide an introduction to the issues of health care and continuity of care for those in charge of health in prison and upon release, for professionals from the criminal justice/health/social services both in prison and in the community and for drug users themselves. See more detailed information under each course description.

What topics our courses cover?

Upon finishing these courses you should have a basic knowledge on the following key themes:

• Drug use – effects and risk.
• Drugs and infections in prison – basic knowledge and safer practices.
• BBV testing and counseling (HIV, hepatitis).
• Treatment, care and support for prisoners living with HIV, including antiretroviral therapy, and treatment for hepatitis.
• Prevention, diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis.
• Women and drug use.
• Prevention and treatment of sexually transmitted infections.
• Decontamination of injecting equipment.
• Obstacles to harm reduction services in prison.
• Organizational aspects of health services in prison.
• Harm reduction services in prison and supporting measures including: provision of condoms and needle exchange programmes.
• Basic concepts on Opioid Substitution Treatment.
• Starting and continuing opioid substitution treatment in prison.

How much does it cost to participate?

Our courses are free for all participants.

How are the courses organized?

Our courses are available online, giving you flexible and open access, and are designed for self-study. All courses provide a solid foundation for the components of a harm reduction, and illustrate these components with practical tools, cases studies, and links to additional readings.

Since there are variations in policy and guidelines by country, the courses cannot reflect country-specific regulations. All courses presents general principles, to complement, not replace, national and international guidelines.

To begin we recommend taking a few minutes to explore our platform. Read the brief manual, review the materials and preview the assignments.