CTN-0135: Development & use of an interactive, web-based platform to share scientific findings.
This presentation provided a brief summary of the CTN-0135 study, Buprenorphine Treatment Engagement and Induction Problems Among Individuals Using Fentanyl, which aimed to determine whether there are regional variations in the prevalence of fentanyl use and problems initiating buprenorphine/naloxone. A secondary purpose was to characterize the specific problems that clinicians are encountering when initiating BUP treatment in patients using fentanyl and to determine how standard clinical protocols are being modified to engage patients in treatment, which was carried out via a survey administered to 396 clinicians.
The study team wanted to explore other dissemination strategies besides publishing in peer-reviewed journals in order to better share the results with a broader audience. To that end, they decided to develop an online data dashboard, which they developed using Shiny Apps. A second survey was sent out to original participants who had opted in for future contact (n=364) to ask questions about the dashboard, including questions about general usability, basic demographics, and some open-ended items.
Responses to the dashboard were positive, with 84.4% reporting they were at least “somewhat satisfied” with the dashboard. 91.7% found the study results to be relevant to clinical practice, and 77.7% said they would be likely to use a data dashboard to learn about study results. Strengths of the dashboard noted in the open-ended questions included “simplicity and ease of use,” while opportunities for improvement included “color scheme, scrolling reduction, and font sizes.”
Overall, the data dashboard evaluation results suggest it is a feasible dissemination strategy for a clinical audience: easy to use, something clinicians would recommend to colleagues, and clinically relevant. Future work should integrate users into the development process and consider visualization literacy as well as computer skills.
Find the Trends in Drug Use Study Dashboard here.
Related protocols: CTN-0135