Perceptions of overdose response hotlines and applications among rural and remote individuals who use drugs in Canada: a qualitative study
IntroductionThe overdose epidemic continues to be one of the largest public health crises in Canada. Various harm reduction supports have been implemented to curb this epidemic; however, they remain concentrated within urban settings. To address this limitation, overdose respons...
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Public Health Agency of Canada
2024-12-01
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| Series: | Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Prevention in Canada |
| Online Access: | https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/reports-publications/health-promotion-chronic-disease-prevention-canada-research-policy-practice/vol-44-no-11-12-2024/perceptions-overdose-response-hotlines-applications-rural-remote-individuals-drugs-canada-qualitative-study.html |
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| author | Dylan Viste William Rioux Marguerite Medwid Kienan Williams Esther Tailfeathers Amanda Lee Farah Jafri Stryder Zobell S. Monty Ghosh |
| author_facet | Dylan Viste William Rioux Marguerite Medwid Kienan Williams Esther Tailfeathers Amanda Lee Farah Jafri Stryder Zobell S. Monty Ghosh |
| author_sort | Dylan Viste |
| collection | DOAJ |
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IntroductionThe overdose epidemic continues to be one of the largest public health crises in Canada. Various harm reduction supports have been implemented to curb this epidemic; however, they remain concentrated within urban settings. To address this limitation, overdose response hotlines and applications (ORHA) are novel, technologybased harm reduction services that may reduce drug-related mortality for people who use substances (PWUS) living in rural communities through virtual supervised consumption. These services enable more timely and remote activation of emergency responses, should an individual become unresponsive. We aimed to explore the experiences, perceptions and attitudes surrounding ORHA of individuals living in rural areas.
MethodsWe conducted semistructured interviews with 15 PWUS (7 [46.7%] male, 9 [60%] Indigenous) who lived in rural, remote or Indigenous communities. Interviews were conducted until data saturation was reached. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis.
ResultsSix key themes emerged: (1) participants viewed ORHA as a pragmatic intervention for rural areas but noted potential limitations to its uptake and effectiveness; (2) rural geography may hinder EMS response times, reducing the efficacy of ORHA; (3) ORHA uptake may be limited due to significant stigma faced by PWUS in these communities; (4) lack of access to technology remains a barrier to ORHA access; (5) harm reduction awareness is often limited in rural communities; and (6) there are unique social implications around substance use and harm reduction for rural Indigenous PWUS.
ConclusionWhile participants believed that ORHA may be a feasible harm reduction strategy for rural PWUS, limitations, including response times, technological access and substance use stigma, remain. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-bfd49d2e839a4d05b5cff332ec09483b |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2368-738X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-12-01 |
| publisher | Public Health Agency of Canada |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Prevention in Canada |
| spelling | doaj-art-bfd49d2e839a4d05b5cff332ec09483b2024-11-28T16:19:02ZengPublic Health Agency of CanadaHealth Promotion and Chronic Disease Prevention in Canada2368-738X2024-12-014411/1247148110.24095/hpcdp.44.11/12.03Perceptions of overdose response hotlines and applications among rural and remote individuals who use drugs in Canada: a qualitative studyDylan Viste0William Rioux1Marguerite Medwid2Kienan Williams3Esther Tailfeathers4Amanda Lee5Farah Jafri6Stryder Zobell7S. Monty Ghosh8Department of Medicine, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, CanadaDepartment of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, CanadaDepartment of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, CanadaIndigenous Wellness Core, Alberta Health Services, Calgary, Alberta, CanadaDepartment of Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, CanadaDepartment of Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, Alberta, CanadaDepartment of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, CanadaAlberta Health Services, Edmonton, Alberta, CanadaDepartment of Medicine, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada IntroductionThe overdose epidemic continues to be one of the largest public health crises in Canada. Various harm reduction supports have been implemented to curb this epidemic; however, they remain concentrated within urban settings. To address this limitation, overdose response hotlines and applications (ORHA) are novel, technologybased harm reduction services that may reduce drug-related mortality for people who use substances (PWUS) living in rural communities through virtual supervised consumption. These services enable more timely and remote activation of emergency responses, should an individual become unresponsive. We aimed to explore the experiences, perceptions and attitudes surrounding ORHA of individuals living in rural areas. MethodsWe conducted semistructured interviews with 15 PWUS (7 [46.7%] male, 9 [60%] Indigenous) who lived in rural, remote or Indigenous communities. Interviews were conducted until data saturation was reached. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis. ResultsSix key themes emerged: (1) participants viewed ORHA as a pragmatic intervention for rural areas but noted potential limitations to its uptake and effectiveness; (2) rural geography may hinder EMS response times, reducing the efficacy of ORHA; (3) ORHA uptake may be limited due to significant stigma faced by PWUS in these communities; (4) lack of access to technology remains a barrier to ORHA access; (5) harm reduction awareness is often limited in rural communities; and (6) there are unique social implications around substance use and harm reduction for rural Indigenous PWUS. ConclusionWhile participants believed that ORHA may be a feasible harm reduction strategy for rural PWUS, limitations, including response times, technological access and substance use stigma, remain.https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/reports-publications/health-promotion-chronic-disease-prevention-canada-research-policy-practice/vol-44-no-11-12-2024/perceptions-overdose-response-hotlines-applications-rural-remote-individuals-drugs-canada-qualitative-study.html |
| spellingShingle | Dylan Viste William Rioux Marguerite Medwid Kienan Williams Esther Tailfeathers Amanda Lee Farah Jafri Stryder Zobell S. Monty Ghosh Perceptions of overdose response hotlines and applications among rural and remote individuals who use drugs in Canada: a qualitative study Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Prevention in Canada |
| title | Perceptions of overdose response hotlines and applications among rural and remote individuals who use drugs in Canada: a qualitative study |
| title_full | Perceptions of overdose response hotlines and applications among rural and remote individuals who use drugs in Canada: a qualitative study |
| title_fullStr | Perceptions of overdose response hotlines and applications among rural and remote individuals who use drugs in Canada: a qualitative study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Perceptions of overdose response hotlines and applications among rural and remote individuals who use drugs in Canada: a qualitative study |
| title_short | Perceptions of overdose response hotlines and applications among rural and remote individuals who use drugs in Canada: a qualitative study |
| title_sort | perceptions of overdose response hotlines and applications among rural and remote individuals who use drugs in canada a qualitative study |
| url | https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/reports-publications/health-promotion-chronic-disease-prevention-canada-research-policy-practice/vol-44-no-11-12-2024/perceptions-overdose-response-hotlines-applications-rural-remote-individuals-drugs-canada-qualitative-study.html |
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