From Design to Action: Participatory Approach to Capacity Building for Local Overdose Response

Abstract Background In response to the rise in opioid-related deaths, communities across Ontario have developed opioid or overdose response plans to address issues at the local level. Public Health Ontario (PHO) leads the Community Opioid / Overdose Capacity Building (COM-CAP) project, which aims to reduce overdose-related harms at the community level by working with communities to identify, develop, and evaluate capacity building supports for local needs around overdose planning. The ‘From Design to Action’ co-design workshop used a participatory design approach to engage communities in the requirements for capacity building support. Methods A participatory approach (co-design) provided opportunity for collaborative discussion around capacity building needs at the community level. The co-design workshop included three structured collaborative activities (i.e., identifying details of priority challenges, support delivery mechanisms, and evaluation planning), and was conducted with fifty-two participants involved in opioid/overdose-related plans in Ontario. Participatory materials were informed by the results of a situational assessment (SA) data gathering process, including survey, interview, and focus group data. A voting system, including dot stickers and discussion notes, was applied to identify priority supports and delivery mechanisms. Results The workshop resulted in identifying key challenges and priority supports to consider for development and implementation. Key findings were summarized into five major priorities, including: 1) stigma & equity; 2) trust-based relationships, consensus building & on-going communication; 3) knowledge development & on-going access to information and data; 4) tailored strategies and plan adaptation to changing structures and local context; and 5) structural enablers and responsive governance. Conclusion Using a participatory approach, the workshop provided an opportunity for sharing, generating, and mobilizing the required knowledge to address research-practice gaps at the community level. The application of health design methods such as the ‘From Design to Action’ co-design workshop allows for teams to gain a deeper understanding of issues as well as enhances the foundation and application of participatory approaches in addressing complex public health issues such as the overdose crisis.