Research and Evaluation of Link-Up, DCR in Brussels

Research and Evaluation of Link-Up, Drug Consumption Room in Brussels

Link-Up is the second Safer Consumption Room (SCMR) to open in the Brussels-Capital Region. SCMRs are public health facilities designed for people who use drugs mainly in public places. They are hygienically safe spaces where users can safely consume the products they have acquired elsewhere without moral judgment, under the supervision of specially trained professional staff. It is a risk reduction facility. Before Link-Up, two other SCMRs were opened in Belgium, including one, GATE, in the Brussels region. These first two SCMRs are currently undergoing scientific evaluation as part of the REVE-DROOM project (approved by the CEHF (2024/28MAI/276, on 06/18/2024) of the "Drugs" research program funded by BELSPO (Federal Science Policy). The present project aims to replicate the study of the effects associated with the use of SCMRs on users, as implemented in the evaluation system currently underway at GATE in the new SCMR, Link-Up, with a view to also evaluating its effects. The RELINK study is being conducted at the request of Iriscare, the bicommunal social protection OIP (Public Interests Organization) of the Brussels-Capital Region.

It is a study based on a natural experiment (i.e., all Link-Up users who agree to participate in the study will be included) and measures various indicators concerning them. The measured indicators primarily concern risky consumption practices (injection, consumption in public spaces, reuse and/or sharing of consumption equipment, and other practices that endanger the health of people who use drugs). As secondary effects, the measures concern the sociodemographic and socioeconomic characteristics of the user population, drug-use profiles, level of social integration, quality of life, level of personal recovery, and care needs.

The analysis of these various indicators will make it possible to describe the profile of Link-up SCS users and to compare it with that of GATE users. In addition, the study design allows for an extension to conduct a cohort follow-up and, therefore, to measure changes associated with the use of the SCS service.

The current study aims for a sample of at least 250 people recruited within the service. Indicator measurement is carried out using a questionnaire administered with the assistance of the research team and supported by SCS staff. The questionnaire consists of various scales validated in the scientific literature and already used in the REVE-DROOM study.

Given the similarity of the proposed Link-Up system with the one implemented at GATE, the results of the two Brussels SCSs will be the subject of a comparative analysis.

Study Overview

• Status: Not yet recruiting
• Conditions: Substance Use (Drugs, Alcohol)
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Self-reported questionnaire to monitor the consumption behaviors and sociodemographic characteristics

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 250
• Phase: Not Applicable

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• user of the DCR Link-Up in Bruxelles
• agree to participate
• sufficient command of either French or Dutch

Exclusion Criteria:

• Refusal to participate

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Other
• Allocation: N/A
• Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

1

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Intervention / Treatment

Experimental: DCR users; There is only one arm in this study and it gathers DCR users who are going to be followed up.

Other: Self-reported questionnaire to monitor the consumption behaviors and sociodemographic characteristics; Participants will complete a unique questionnaire covering different aspects: risky consumption practices: injection, consumption in public spaces, reuse and/or sharing of consumption equipment, and other practices that endanger the health of people who use drugs; sociodemographic and socioeconomic characteristics; drug-use profiles; level of social integration; quality of life; level of personal recovery; care needs

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Risky consumption behaviours	The questionnaire concerns different aspects of consumption behaviors (consumption mode, in public spaces, reuse and/or sharing of consumption equipment,...) and also sociodemographic and socioeconomic characteristics of the user population, level of social integration, quality of life, level of personal recovery, and care needs	Throughout the entire study, during approximately 6 months

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Université Catholique de Louvain

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Estimated): March 1, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): September 1, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): September 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: February 16, 2026
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 27, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): March 5, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): March 5, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 27, 2026
• Last Verified: February 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Mental Disorders; Chemically-Induced Disorders; Substance-Related Disorders
• Other Study ID Numbers: RELINK

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No