Patient Partner, Prescription Opioid Misuse Research Program

Prescription opioid misuse destroys lives, families and communities. Finding ways to prevent and intervene when people need support is the goal of a team of researchers at the University of British Columbia. They are seeking two patient partners with lived experience to ensure that this research is meaningful and respectful to those that have experienced opioid misuse.

Open to: Patient partners in the Lower Mainland & Fraser Valley

Lead Organization or Department

University of British Columbia, Emergency Medicine

Aim

To trial an electronic reporting system that records and reports prescription drug-related problems in emergency room patients with the potential of supporting opioid misuse patients Patient partners would help inform the team, gather information, and propose a plan for the work. This would include a focus group, making recommendations as to the design of a trial, and suggesting how the results could be used and shared

Level of Engagement

This opportunity is at the level of collaborate on the spectrum of engagement. The promise to you is that the health care partner will work together with you to formulate solutions and incorporate your advice and recommendations into the decisions to the maximum extent possible.

Eligibility

Open to patient partners who:

• Have experience with prescription opioid misuse
• Are comfortable sharing their story and advocating for their peers

If you have a strong interest in this work but have not yet completed a PVN orientation and volunteer agreement, are unsure if your experience is a good fit or feel another format of engagement would work better with your availability, please contact the engagement leader directly.

Logistics

• Vacancies: 2
• Date/time: Tuesdays, 9:15-11:00 am
• Location: Telephone calls, with periodic in-person meetings in Vancouver
• Commitment: Two-hour weekly meetings, one year with the option of renewal, with meetings notes and other ad-hoc emails possible during your term

Reimbursement

Preapproved expenses related to travel to in person meetings will be reimbursed according to the University of British Columbia Travel policy (including mileage, parking and public transit). Further compensation will be discussed directly with the patient partner

Background

We are seeking to expand and refine a research program on an evolving public health crisis - the increasing number of individuals experiencing harm from prescription drug use. We are a multi-disciplinary research team that includes the following members:

• Dr. Hohl is the principal investigator of the Adverse Drug Event (ADE) Research Program. She is a clinician scientist who practices emergency medicine, and a health services researcher focusing on ADEs. Dr. Hohl leads research projects that provide epidemiological data to guide further development of health systems interventions to prevent ADEs and evaluate the implementation of medication management interventions.
• Hospital-based and community pharmacists
• Graduate students in Epidemiology, Communications, and Knowledge Translation.
• Research assistants and coordinators
• Three patient partners with lived experience with adverse drug events

We engage with a diverse group of stakeholders:

• Patients;
• Physicians;
• Community pharmacists;
• Government officials (BC and ON Ministries of Health, federal MP);
• Healthcare managers and administrators; and,
• Professional bodies (BC College of Pharmacists, College of Physicians of BC).

All background materials relevant to this initiative can be found on our website: http://www.actionade.org

Health Care Partner Contact Information

Jami Brown
Engagement Leader, Patient and Public Engagement | Fraser Valley
604.510.0449
jbrown@bcpsqc.ca