The College on Problems of Drug Dependence (CPDD) Annual Scientific Meeting brings together leading experts from around the world, fostering international collaboration and knowledge exchange in the field of drug dependence. This year the CPDD Annual Scientific Meeting, held from June 15 to 19, in Montreal, Canada, provided an excellent platform for SIG researchers including Dawn Goddard-Eckrich, EdD, and Nishita D'Souza, PhD, to share their findings and contribute to the ongoing efforts to combat the opioid crisis and improve public health interventions.
As part of the HEALing Communities Study, Dr. Goddard-Eckrich presented a groundbreaking study on pharmacists' perceptions of opioid use disorder (OUD) treatment, which introduced the Brief Stigma and Perceptions Questionnaire for Pharmacists (P-OUDP-Q). Her expertise in health and behavioral studies, combined with her background in social sciences, makes her well-suited to lead this important research on pharmacists' attitudes and perceptions regarding OUD treatment. Dr. Goddard-Eckrich's work on the P-OUDP-Q contributes significantly to understanding and addressing potential barriers in accessing life-saving medications like Narcan and Medication for Opioid Use Disorder.
In addition to that study, Dr. Dsouza shared research on the E-WORTH intervention, in which she explored the influence of group sessions on the effectiveness of the E-WORTH intervention, and if this effect was stronger among participants in the study who were food secure, or who had consistent and reliable access to food. The study found that the influence of group sessions was statistically significant, with E-WORTH participants who attended all group sessions experiencing a 36% reduction in STIs compared to those in the control arm. Among those who attended all group sessions, E-WORTH participants who were food secure had a 77% reduction in STIs compared to those in the control arm. The E-WORTH intervention is a CDC Best Practice for HIV/STI prevention. The findings from this analysis are important for implementation of this intervention to devote sufficient resources to the group session component.
Both studies highlight the importance of understanding various factors that influence the effectiveness of interventions in substance use and related health issues.