We've all heard the news. We're in the middle of an opioid epidemic, and overdose-related fatalities are increasing each year. In the United States, these are truths of this epidemic:
How can a mobile app reduce opioid overdose fatalities?
Doctors, scientists, and policy-makers are all on the problem, and the fatalities have not slowed down.They have been attacking the problem from all angles: reduce prescription opioids, educate patients and drug users, improve addition treatment, and increase access to naloxone, a drug that can quickly and completely reverse the effects of opioids and prevent overdose fatalities.
Removing barriers to naloxone availability would save lives:
To determine possible points of intervention, I began by reading policy statements & medical research, then talked to experts in the field, a clinical social worker and a medical legal advisor / nurse practitioner, both with expertise in drug use and addiction. Next, I identified groups of people impacted by opioid overdose, and asked how people in each group might be affected by the problem, and what could be helpful to them in fighting it: patients prescribed opioids for chronic pain, recreational drug users, prescribing physicians, concerned family members, treatment counselors, first responders, and more.
Using this information, I developed several possible app user personas, considering their fears, concerns, and points of frustration that could be addressed by a mobile app.
Once I felt comfortable with the problem, potential points of intervention, and had a feel for potential users, I began to diagram and sketch possible ideas and interactions. At this stage of the project, I left nothing out, considering every type of user and point of interaction.
After refining my ideas on paper, I began to refine possible points of interaction, and narrow the scope into a manageable list of 3 types of users, and 3 primary points of interaction.
Interactive prototype After some quick sketching on paper, I layed out my designs into mobile format, using a map-based design with separate interfaces for overdose victims or bystanders and emergency responders. Because naloxone prescribing laws vary greatly by state, the app interfaces with state & federal legal regulations & authorized prescriber databases.
The app addresses concerns of each user type - emergency responders who cannot prescribe opioids can connect with those who can, bystanders can alert emergency responders and prescribers simultaneously, and have the option of anonymous reporting to alleviate concerns of legal repercussions that may otherwise impede overdose reporting.
This project was my first mobile app design, as well as my first complete UX project from start to finish. While I think that this idea has plenty of merit and could indeed save lives by facilitating delivery of naloxone to overdose victims, I think there is plenty room for innovative ideas for attacking opioid overdose fatalities head-on.
If I were to design an app to reduce opioid overdose fatalities today, I would take a much more direct approach, and design a product to send alerts directly from an overdose victim to appropriate medical responders. Interfacing with a heart-rate monitoring fitness tracker, this app would trigger an alert after an indicative duration of low heart rate falling below the pre-determined threshold, thus circumventing the requirement for decision making or deliberate action by victims or bystanders.
