A research study commissioned by the federal government to explore how the implementation of evidence-based public health strategies could reduce opioid-related deaths did not show a significant decrease in the communities studied, as reported in data published in the New England Journal of Medicine on Sunday.
Initiated in 2019, the National Institute of Health’s Helping to End Addiction Long-term (HEALing) Communities Study was the largest study on addiction prevention and treatment implementation, according to the agency.
Researchers collaborated with coalitions in 67 communities in Kentucky, Massachusetts, New York, and Ohio, identified as the states most affected by the opioid crisis by NIH.
The community interventions focused on enhancing opioid education and naloxone distribution, improving access to medication for opioid use disorder, and safer opioid prescribing and dispensing, as outlined in the study. Additionally, there were communication campaigns to reduce stigma and boost the adoption of evidence-based practices, according to NIH.
The communities were randomly assigned to receive the interventions or serve as a control group.
However, the communities that received the interventions did not exhibit a significant difference in the overall rate of opioid-related deaths compared to those that did not, according to the researchers.
The research team attributes the lack of impact of the interventions to the unforeseen factors of the COVID-19 pandemic that struck shortly after the study commenced and the increased prevalence of fentanyl in the illegal drug market.
NIH’s National Institute on Drug Abuse Director Dr. Nora D. Volkow stated, “This study brought researchers, providers, and communities together to break down barriers and promote the use of evidence-based strategies that we know are effective, including medications for opioid use disorder and naloxone. Yet, particularly in the era of fentanyl and its increased mixture with psychostimulant drugs, it’s clear we need to continue developing new tools and approaches for addressing the overdose crisis. Ongoing analyses of the rich data from this study will be critical to guiding our efforts in the future.”
Despite the study’s disappointing results, its director Dr. Redonna Chandler described it as “an incredible feat for implementation science” and demonstrated that communities can effectively implement evidence-based practices when provided with the necessary resources.
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