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Abstract
Aim: This article describes the development of a scale to identify needle fixation. Design: A series of statements were developed from qualitative interviews with 24 injecting drug users. The content of the interviews was used to generate 74 statements that had relevance to needle fixation. The 74 statements were developed into a 74-point questionnaire and administered to 80 injecting drug users. These statements were refined to 14 relevant questions with pairs of questions relating to a particular activity. This had a Cronbach reliability of .70. Following identification of needle fixation by interview these questions were reduced to the final 10. Participants: A total of 137 injecting drug users from Cardiff and surrounding area were used for different stages of the development. Results: The resulting 10-point scale has a utility in identifying needle fixation in individuals with the problem and specifies the role that needle fixation plays for them. Conclusions: This scale may help with the treatment of injecting drug users by identifying needle fixation.