Drug-related community issues and the required interventions in open drug scenes in Tehran, Iran: a qualitative study protocol

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Many low-income and middle-income countries experience problems with open drug scenes and drug-related community issues (DRCIs). These experiences occur in settings with varying levels of health and law enforcement initiatives, and accordingly a range of approaches are implemented to curb the problem. Most of the published literature stems from Western and high-income societies. With this concern, the present study aims to describe a planned project to explore DRCIs in the open drug scenes of Tehran, including its typology, and predisposing and reinforcing factors. In addition, the study attempts to investigate the perceptions with respect to the required interventions and barriers to their accessibility. METHODS: To this end, the current study focuses on the Farahzad drug scene due to its structure and the difficult access to the scene by harm reduction providers. Data collection techniques encompass field observation, indepth interview and focus group discussion. Further, semistructured interviews are conducted with people who use drugs and other key informants who are engaged at this drug scene, including business, community, voluntary and statutory stakeholders, for an average of 90 min (average of 45 min for each part of the study). Furthermore, as a complementary method, field observation is performed regarding the themes of DRCIs at this scene. Then, focus group discussions are held to further describe the themes of DRCIs as well as to explore the required interventions, for an average of 90 min. Finally, the results are evaluated using qualitative content analysis. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethical approval for the study was obtained from the Ethics Committee of Iran University of Medical Sciences, Iran. Additionally, participants are to provide written informed consent. The findings of the study are expected to play a role in promoting the current intervention.