0920-20PA Focus Group Guide

Attachment E- Focus Group Guides

Form Approved

OMB No: 0920-xxxx
Exp. Date: xx-xx-xxxx

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INTRODUCTION Script

Good morning/afternoon/evening. Thank you for participating in this discussion of the Overdose Data to Action Program. My name is [your name] and I’m the moderator facilitator. My colleagues [notetaker 1] and [notetaker 2] will be taking notes. We are from Booz Allen Hamilton and are conducting this focus group on behalf of CDC’s Division of Overdose Prevention.

Before we begin the discussion, I would like to provide a bit of background about the goals of this session. We are conducting an evaluation of the Overdose Data to Action program. As a part of this information collection initiative, we are particularly interested in learning more about your:

• Focus Group Set 1: Experiences utilizing and translating surveillance data to action through prevention and response activities

• Focus Group Set 2: Perceptions regarding the impact of OD2A on surveillance and prevention efforts

• Focus Group Set 3: Experiences identifying and assessing the needs of high-burden communities and high-risk populations

Feedback we receive from this discussion will help us to better understand the context, inputs, and processes of OD2A program implementation and gain valuable insights that will inform the overall evaluation of the program.

Before we start, let me suggest some things to make our discussion more productive. Because we’ll be recording for an accurate record, it is important that you speak up and that you only speak one at a time. We don’t want to miss any of your comments. Both the audio recording and written notes will be kept in a secure location. The audio recording will be destroyed once analysis is completed. Please note that your name and title will not be linked to any of the reports generated from this discussion. In this way, we will maintain your confidentiality. In addition, we ask that you also respect the confidentiality of everyone in this room. Please don’t repeat who said what when you leave this session.

The entire session will last for about an hour. I will ask questions and listen to what you have to say. I will not participate in the discussion. So please feel free to respond to each other and to speak directly to others in the group. We want to hear from all of you. We are interested in both majority and minority viewpoints, common and uncommon experiences. So I may sometimes act as a traffic cop by encouraging someone who has been quiet to talk or by asking someone to hold off for a few minutes.

Before we begin, does anyone have any questions about today’s session?

If it is ok with all of you, we will turn on the recorder and start now. *START RECORDING*

Focus Group Questions

Let’s start by getting to know one another. Please briefly tell us your name, jurisdiction, and position (e.g., Program Director/Manager, Surveillance Strategy Lead, Prevention Strategy Lead, etc.).

Focus Group Set 1

Purpose: To understand jurisdictions’ approaches to using and translating surveillance data to inform prevention activities

1. Let’s start with everyone sharing the nature of the overdose data you’ve collected as part of the OD2A program.
   
   

2. What helped or facilitated your jurisdiction being able to collect the overdose data? Please explain.

• What are key factors that helped you implement your OD2A data collection?

• What has made it possible for your jurisdiction to submit data in a timely manner (e.g., additional staffing, integrated data systems)?
  
  

3. What, if any, challenges or issues has your jurisdiction faced in collecting overdose data for OD2A? How have you addressed these challenges?

Probes (if needed):

• If you have not addressed these challenges, why? What are your plans to address them?
  
  

4. How has your jurisdictions used or translated that data to inform overdose prevention and response activities in a timely manner?

• Which activities or strategies?

• How did you determine which strategies/activities?
  
  

5. What helped or facilitated your ability to use that data to inform prevention and response activities?
   
   

6. What hindered your ability to inform prevention and response activities?
   
   

7. How useful were overdose data for informing overdose prevention and response activities?

Probes:

• What data are most useful? Least useful?

• How useful was this data to your stakeholders/partners? Please provide a few examples, if able.
  
  

8. In your opinion, what is the best way to share and disseminate data with your stakeholders/partners and why?
   
   

9. How could the use of overdose data to inform OD2A prevention and response efforts be improved? Please explain.
   
   

10. If you were providing advice to other jurisdictions who were aiming to successfully use/translate/share overdose data to inform prevention activity/strategy, what would you say?
    
    

Focus Group Set 2

Purpose: To understand the perceived impact of OD2A on overdose surveillance and prevention efforts

1. Let’s start by going around and having everyone share what they think has been the biggest impact of the OD2A effort and funding on your jurisdiction and communities.
   

2. What, if any, aspects of OD2A specifically (when compared to other initiatives), do you attribute with improving overdose prevention and response efforts?
   
   

3. What do you think drove those impacts (e.g., the nature of the data, the timing, that targeted nature for a specific prevention strategy)? Why did the effort have this impact?

4. In what ways has your use of overdose surveillance data been impactful at informing prevention and response activities since the start of OD2A (Fall 2019)?
   Probes (if needed):

• What were the most helpful aspects of using overdose surveillance data to inform your prevention activities? Least helpful?

• For which prevention strategies or activities, in particular?

• Are there any other data sources that emerged to be useful or informative to your work (e.g., PDMP or other alternative sources)?

5. In your opinion, has overdose surveillance and prevention response changes substantially enough to impact the opioid crisis in your respective jurisdictions? Why or why not?

Probes:

• Has it been quickly enough? Why or why not?

6. In what ways did you use overdose prevention and response activities to build capacity within your respective jurisdictions?
   
   

7. Please describe any changes you observed in stakeholders and communities’ level of functioning (e.g. capacity, engagement, and/or response) in regard to overdose prevention and response activities.
   
   

8. As you reflect on your OD2A work, what was the extent state and local integration was improved or impacted? Please explain.

Probes (if needed):

• What were some key benefits that occurred as a result of this integration?

• What were some key challenges faced when trying to improve this integration?

9. How sustainable do you think these OD2A activities are, particularly after funding ceases?

Probes:

• What makes sustainability possible, do you think?

• What additional support or resources would you need to make your efforts sustainable?
  
  

10. Please describe your overall satisfaction with OD2A’s influence and impact on overdose surveillance, prevention, and response activities within your respective jurisdictions.
    
    

Focus Group Set 3

Purpose: To understand how OD2A jurisdictions addressed the needs of identified high-burden communities and high-risk populations

1. Why and how did you identify this [insert high burden community or high-risk population] to engage/focus on for one of your OD2A activities?

Probes:

• Were there any resources or data you used?

• How have partners helped you with this identification?

• Any past work supporting this population/community?
  
  

2. How did you assess the needs of this [insert high burden community or high-risk population] regarding overdose response and prevention?

Probes:

• How do you track and validate the on-going needs and make adjustments overtime?

• What unique and/or emerging needs have you identified with this community/population?
  
  

3. Which specific strategies or OD2A activities have you used to address the needs of this [insert high burden community or high-risk population]?

Probe:

• Why these strategies?

4. How did you implement these activities for this population/community?

• Can you give specific examples?

• How do you ensure program activities, interventions, materials, etc. are culturally responsive to each community and population of interest? Please provide specific examples of this.

5. What strategies or approaches have been most successful in reaching and engaging this [insert high burden community or high-risk population]?
   Probes (if needed):

• What types of the partners have been helpful in developing relationships with [insert high burden community or high-risk population]?

• What other factors do you think have contributed to these successes?
  
  

6. What helped or facilitated achieving the success with this community/population?

7. What challenges have you experienced when attempting to access this [insert high burden community or high-risk population]?
   
   

8. What impact has OD2A activities had on overdose-related outcomes among this [insert high burden community or high-risk population]?
   Probes (if needed):

• What successes have you observed?

9. What specific lessons learned might you share with other jurisdictions interested in implementing OD2A activities engaging this [insert high burden community or high-risk population]?

CLOSING

Those were all the questions I had for today. Is there anything you would like to add about your experiences with OD2A that we have not already covered?

WRAP UP AND THANK YOU [STOP RECORDING]:

That concludes the focus group. Thank you so much for taking the time to share your experiences with me today. Again, incorporating your experiences with the OD2A program is an important part of our evaluation that may inform future CDC opioid and drug overdose prevention efforts.

If you have any questions about the focus group or other questions about the evaluation of the OD2A, please do not hesitate to contact me after today’s session.