Supporting Data-driven Decision-Making to Support Substance Use Service Expansion Policies and to Prevent Overdoses

What this Trial Is About

This research focuses on supporting decision makers across various sectors in Oregon, such as community service providers, public health officials, justice system members, advocates, and payers, to improve substance use services and reduce overdoses. Oregon faces significant challenges with opioid and methamphetamine use and limited access to services. The study aims to provide these leaders with relevant, easy-to-use data to guide evidence-informed policies and actions that enhance substance use prevention and treatment statewide. The study evaluates a novel strategy called Co-Design Sessions (CDS), which engages decision makers in collaboratively identifying and refining data products tailored to their needs. Counties are randomly assigned to either participate in CDS and receive customized data products or to receive standardized data products later. CDS uses methods like Liberating Structures, Group Model Building, and human-centered design to create reports, dashboards, and other tools that support policy decisions. The study also includes an extension phase where all counties eventually receive data products. Participants will engage in surveys and assessments at multiple time points over approximately 42 months to measure community engagement, collaboration networks, trust in data, and the usability of data products. Researchers will monitor how these data tools influence policy decisions, substance use service availability, and overdose prevention efforts. The study ensures ongoing evaluation through these measurements and aims to develop sustainable methods for data sharing to support state-wide substance use service improvements.

Data2Action Oregon Project: Supporting Data-driven Decision-Making for Substance Use Services, Policy, and Overdose Prevention