Use of a discrete choice experiment to support the service design of the safer drug consumption facility in Scotland

BACKGROUND: Over 200 safer drug consumption facilities have been implemented globally, as an effective intervention to prevent drug-related harms. There are many possible service designs of the facility and currently the optimum design is unclear in the Scottish context. This study investigates people who use drugs (PWUD)' preferences for the features of safer drug consumption facility to provide useful information in guiding planning for improved service in Scotland. METHODS: Preferences were elicited using a discrete choice experiment. Each choice set presented 2 different hypothetical safer drug consumption facilities and an opt-out option. The hypothetical facilities were defined by 6 attributes: location, staffing, space allocation, ancillary service, opening times, and travel time. A mixed logit model was used to assess the relative importance of defined attributes among 77 PWUD in Dundee, Edinburgh, and Glasgow. RESULTS: Participants had a strong preference for a safer drug consumption facility that involves peer workers (Coeff: 0.953, p0.05). CONCLUSIONS: This is the first discrete choice experiment to quantify the preference of PWUD regarding different design features for a hypothetical safer drug consumption facility. The findings can be used to guide the design of safer drug consumption facility in Scotland, while providing evidence base for the wider context.