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 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
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
SINGLE
Enrollment
600
Participants are taught overdose prevention methods with network members.
Participants will receive the standard of care for overdose prevention.
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Baltimore, Maryland, United States
RECRUITINGNumber of drug overdoses
Number of drug overdoses in prior three months
Time frame: 3-months
Participant drug use
Proportion of times participants tested positive for drugs of fentanyl and xylazine using test strips in the prior 3 months.
Time frame: 3-months
Number of Network member contacts
Number of network members talked to about overdose prevention in prior 3 months
Time frame: 3-months
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