A distributed model to expand the reach of drug checking

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dc.contributor.authorWallace, Bruce
dc.contributor.authorGozdzialski, Lea
dc.contributor.authorQbaich, Abdelhakim
dc.contributor.authorAzam, Md. Shafiul
dc.contributor.authorBurek, Piotr
dc.contributor.authorHutchison, Abby
dc.contributor.authorTeal, Taylor
dc.contributor.authorLouw, Rebecca
dc.contributor.authorKielty, Collin
dc.contributor.authorRobinson, Derek
dc.contributor.authorMoa, Belaid
dc.contributor.authorStorey, Margaret-Anne
dc.contributor.authorGill, Chris
dc.contributor.authorHore, Dennis K.
dc.date.accessioned2025-02-09T14:19:18Z
dc.date.available2025-02-09T14:19:18Z
dc.date.issued2022
dc.description.abstractPurpose – While there is increasing interest in implementing drug checking within overdose prevention, we must also consider how to scale-up these responses so that they have significant reach and impact for people navigating the unpredictable and increasingly complex drug supplies linked to overdose. The purpose of this paper is to present a distributed model of community drug checking that addresses multiple barriers to increasing the reach of drug checking as a response to the illicit drug overdose crisis. Design/methodology/approach – A detailed description of the key components of a distributed model of community drug checking is provided. This includes an integrated software platform that links a multi-instrument, multi-site service design with online service options, a foundational database that provides storage and reporting functions and a community of practice to facilitate engagement and capacity building. Findings – The distributed model diminishes the need for technicians at multiple sites while still providing point-of-care results with local harm reduction engagement and access to confirmatory testing online and in localized reporting. It also reduces the need for training in the technical components of drug checking (e.g. interpreting spectra) for harm reduction workers. Moreover, its real-time reporting capability keeps communities informed about the crisis. Sites are additionally supported by a community of practice. Originality/value – This paper presents innovations in drug checking technologies and service design that attempt to overcome current financial and technical barriers towards scaling-up services to a more equitable and impactful level and effectively linking multiple urban and rural communities to report concentration levels for substances most linked to overdose.
dc.description.reviewstatusReviewed
dc.description.scholarlevelFaculty
dc.description.sponsorshipThe authors thank the Natural Sciences and Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) for funding in the form of a Collaborative Health Research Project grant (CPG-170616), the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council’s New Frontiers in Research Fund – Exploration grant (NFRFE-2019-01211), Health Canada’s Substance Use and Addictions Program (1819-HQ-000042) and the Vancouver Foundation (FOI20-5607). LG is grateful to NSERC for a CGS-D scholarship.
dc.identifier.citationWallace, B., Gozdzialski, L., Qbaich, A., Shafiul, A., Burek, P., Hutchison, A., Teal, T., Louw, R., Kielty, C., Robinson, D., Moa, B., Storey, M., Gill, C., & Hore, D. (2022). A distributed model to expand the reach of drug checking. Drugs Habits and Social Policy, 23(3), 220–231. https://doi.org/10.1108/dhs-01-2022-0005
dc.identifier.urihttps://doi.org/10.1108/dhs-01-2022-0005
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/1828/21198
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherDrugs Habits and Social Policy
dc.rightsAttribution 4.0 Internationalen
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
dc.subjectdrug checking
dc.subjectsubstance use
dc.subjectharm reduction
dc.subjectoverdose
dc.subjectspectroscopy
dc.subjectmass spectrometry
dc.subjectCanadian Institute for Substance Use Research
dc.subject.departmentSchool of Social Work
dc.subject.departmentDepartment of Chemistry
dc.subject.departmentDepartment of Computer Science
dc.titleA distributed model to expand the reach of drug checking
dc.typeArticle

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