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Fatal Overdose Review Teams - Research to Enhance Surveillance Systems (FORTRESS)

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Indiana University

Status

Invitation-only

Conditions

Opioid-Related Disorders
Substance-Related Disorders

Treatments

Behavioral: Data-Driven Decision Making (DDDM)
Behavioral: Overdose-prevention strategies inventory

Study type

Interventional

Funder types

Other
NIH

Identifiers

NCT06084221
4R33DA057660-02 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)
1R61DA057660-01 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)
15922

Details and patient eligibility

About

This project seeks to address the overdose epidemic by working with overdose fatality review (OFR) teams. Current OFR practices rely on a case review model where OFR teams assess one or two overdose cases to make policy and program recommendations. However, the continued rise in overdose rates and number of preventable overdose deaths suggest a need to shift OFR teams away from case review and toward using timely population-level data to better inform their recommendations and actions.

The goal of this project, Fatal Overdose Review Teams - Research to Enhance Surveillance Systems (FORTRESS), is to improve standard OFR practices by equipping OFRs with a data dashboard built on near real-time aggregate data, linked across multiple sources and presented in a way that helps identify common "overdose touchpoints," or opportunities to connect individuals at risk for overdose with evidence-based treatment.

During the first project phase, the FORTRESS team will design the "Overdose Touchpoints Dashboard'' (Aim 1). The FORTRESS team will also train OFR team members in "Data-Driven Decision Making" (DDDM) to effectively use the dashboard. The FORTRESS team also includes individuals involved in developing the CDC's OFR best practice guidelines and a pilot study of OFR adherence to these guidelines, which will inform the FORTRESS team's development of an "OFR Fidelity Tool'' (Aim 2). This tool will be the first of its kind.

For the second project phase, the FORTRESS team will conduct a cluster-randomized stepped-wedge trial comparing the impact of the intervention (dashboard + DDDM training) versus standard OFR practices on both implementation (Aim 3) and effectiveness outcomes (Aim 4). Implementation outcomes include implementation process fidelity (Stages of Implementation Completion), staff acceptance of harm reduction philosophies (qualitative interviews), OFR fidelity to CDC best practices (FORTRESS OFR Fidelity Tool), and usability of the Overdose Touchpoint Dashboard, (Systems Usability Scale). A statewide OFR data repository serves as a rich source of data on effectiveness outcomes, including OFR team recommendation quality and local actions to implement recommended overdose prevention strategies. The FORTRESS team will also survey OFR team members to assess changes in their attitudes toward evidence-based overdose prevention strategies. In sum, the FORTRESS team is uniquely qualified to help OFRs use more comprehensive available data to inform quality, action-oriented recommendations to reduce overdose. Funding for this project comes from the HEAL Initiative (https://heal.nih.gov/).

Enrollment

400 estimated patients

Sex

All

Volunteers

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion and exclusion criteria

Inclusion Criteria for FORTRESS staff personnel recruited to complete surveys, focus groups and/or interviews:

  • 1) member of local overdose fatality review (OFR) team; OR 2) local county leader of organizations represented by OFR (OFR facilitator, public jail administrators, chief of police, judge, addiction treatment CEO/CFO, public health director, etc.).

Inclusion criteria for FORTRESS administrative data:

  • all residents of Indiana that have experienced fatal and/or non-fatal overdose as identified by administrative data sources.

Exclusion Criteria

  • N/A

Trial design

Primary purpose

Prevention

Allocation

Randomized

Interventional model

Parallel Assignment

Masking

None (Open label)

400 participants in 2 patient groups

OFR Team Practice as Usual
No Intervention group
Description:
Data are collected regarding standard OFR Team practice and outcomes before implementation of the FORTRESS Intervention
FORTRESS
Experimental group
Description:
Participating counties receive both training in data-driven decision making and inventory of overdose-prevention strategies
Treatment:
Behavioral: Overdose-prevention strategies inventory
Behavioral: Data-Driven Decision Making (DDDM)

Trial contacts and locations

1

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Data sourced from clinicaltrials.gov

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