Staff preferences towards electronic data collection from a national take-home naloxone program: a cross-sectional study

In Norway, overdose mortality is over 260 per year, with opioids being implicated in the majority of cases. In 2014, the Norwegian government announced a government-funded nationwide overdose prevention initiative in response to the country's high overdose rates. A broad take-home naloxone (THN) program was one of the key treatments featured. Data collecting techniques moved from paper to electronic during the scaling-up of a nationwide Norwegian take-home naloxone (THN) program. The goal of this study was to find out how employees felt about the change in data gathering.

A survey of 200 people involved with the THN program was sent out through email in January–February 2020. The survey asked 17 questions on staff demographics, distribution experiences, data collecting preferences (both paper and electronic), and an open answer section. The survey findings were analysed using descriptive statistics. The researchers recorded the open answer part of each questionnaire and classified it into key themes.

The survey was completed by 122 employees in total. There was a near consensus preference for electronic data collection over paper-based forms among respondents, with 62 percent having experience with both electronic and paper-based forms. Staff thought the electronic form to be a good tool for dialogue and overdose prevention education, and that the electronic form was easier to handle than the paper ones, based on the free-text response.

The findings suggest that for the Norwegian national THN program to be successful, a move to electronic data collection was required. Staff not only tolerated, but in many cases desired, the organisational change, according to this study. However, it's critical to have buy-in from individuals collecting data on a site-by-site basis to ensure that the format is appropriate for the situation and that client experiences are included.