Counting people with opioid use disorder and expanding access to lifesaving treatments
TRANSFORM - Transforming the evidence base on estimating prevalence of opioid use disorder and expanded access to interventions to prevent drug related deaths: an international data linkage study
This project links health and government records from the US, Australia, and the UK to better count people with opioid use disorder and find gaps in access to opioid agonist treatments for people at risk of overdose.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of New South Wales NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Sydney, Australia) |
| Project ID | NIH-11166477 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
You or others who receive care in the participating regions may have health and administrative records linked so researchers can produce more accurate counts of people with opioid use disorder. The team will combine data from four US states (Rhode Island, Wisconsin, Colorado, Massachusetts), New South Wales (Australia), and Scotland to compare methods and learn from sites where linkage is already established. Researchers will use these linked records to measure how many people receive opioid agonist treatment, identify subgroups with low coverage, and estimate how expanded treatment could reduce drug-related deaths. Lessons and resources developed in non-US sites will be adapted to the US settings to improve future monitoring and planning.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: People with opioid use disorder or anyone who has received care recorded in the participating jurisdictions' health and administrative databases would be included through linked records.
Not a fit: People who live outside the listed jurisdictions or who are not captured in the participating administrative databases are unlikely to be included or to receive direct benefit from this project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could give policymakers and health systems clearer targets to expand medication-based treatment and reduce overdose deaths.
How similar studies have performed: Linked administrative data has been used successfully in other countries to estimate OUD prevalence and treatment gaps, but this multinational, multi-jurisdiction effort is novel for the US context.
Where this research is happening
Sydney, Australia
- University of New South Wales — Sydney, Australia (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Degenhardt, Louisa — University of New South Wales
- Study coordinator: Degenhardt, Louisa
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.