Social Network Overdose Prevention and Education Intervention

Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

Status: Enrolling

Conditions: Drug Overdose

Treatments: Behavioral: Standard of care health education; Behavioral: Network overdose prevention

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other; NIH

Identifiers

NCT06327061

R01DA058659

IRB00026607 (Other Identifier)

Details and patient eligibility

About

The purpose of this study is to test a social intervention focused on overdose prevention and care. In the investigators prior work, the investigators have shown that people who use opioids (PWUO) can be effective peer educators (PEs).

Full description

The purpose of this study is to test a social intervention focused on overdose prevention and care. In the investigators prior work, the investigators have shown that people who use opioids (PWUO) can be effective peer educators (PEs). The investigators have utilized PEs for overdose prevention in interventions that have focused on training network members who use drugs to respond to an overdose. Yet, many overdoses are witnessed by people who do not use drugs. Additionally, many PWUO report using drugs at home and living with someone who does not use drugs, which highlights the importance of training non-using network members on overdose response. Based on pilot data, the investigators propose expanding an overdose peer education intervention to focus on non-using network members. The intervention seeks to prepare network members to respond to an overdose and normalize discussions about overdose prevention planning between index PWUO and non-using network members. The intervention condition consists of 3 individual sessions focused on overdose prevention and response. This condition is designed to train index study participants to be Peer Educators. In addition to the three sessions, the non-drug using network member will be offered one session. The control condition is only 1 session focused on overdose prevention and response. Both intervention and control participants will invite social network members to take part in data collection activities

Enrollment: 600 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 100 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• self-reported illicit opioid use at least 2 times in the past two weeks;
• age 18 and older;
• living in the Baltimore metropolitan region;
• willing to engage in peer education; and
• having and willing to recruit at least one non-using network member.

Exclusion criteria

Participants without the cognitive ability to provide informed consent and have the physical ability to participate in in-person intervention sessions.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Prevention

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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600 participants in 2 patient groups

Experimental: Peer education and network support

Experimental group

Description:

During sessions 1 and 2, participants will be taught information and skills pertaining to overdose prevention and response. During the 3rd session, participants will trained to talk to their non drug using network members in overdose prevention and response.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Network overdose prevention

comparison: Standard of care of health education

Active Comparator group

Description:

In one session, participants will receive the standard of care for overdose prevention.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Standard of care health education