UnityPhilly: Experiences with a Smartphone App that Facilitates Community Response to Opioid Overdoses

Gabriela Marcu; Amber Hardin; Janna Ataiants; Alexis Roth; Stephen E. Lankenau; David G. Schwartz

doi:10.1145/3461564.3461593

UnityPhilly: Experiences with a Smartphone App that Facilitates Community Response to Opioid Overdoses

Gabriela Marcu, Amber Hardin, Janna Ataiants, Alexis Roth, Stephen E. Lankenau, David G. Schwartz

School of Business Administration

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference contribution › peer-review

1 Scopus citations

Abstract

This case study presents the use of UnityPhilly, a community-based smartphone intervention that facilitates layperson response to opioid overdoses. Our analysis focuses the information needs of lay responders. In a Philadelphia neighborhood particularly hard hit by the opioid crisis, 112 participants received training on identifying and reversing an overdose with the drug naloxone, and installed the UnityPhilly app on their smartphone. Over the course of one year, participants used the app to report 291 observed overdoses to one another and EMS, and respond to the scene of 74 overdose incidents. Our case study uses thematic analysis of interviews and survey data collected throughout the community trial. Results indicate that basic functionality was easy to use for many, enabling active user engagement and indicating significant potential for this intervention. However, usability issues included communication and information features during incident response, which were not discoverable. Addressing usability issues and information needs could help lay responders as well as overdose victims.

Original language	English
Title of host publication	C and T 2021 - Proceedings of the 10th International Conference on Communities and Technologies
Subtitle of host publication	Wicked Problems in the Age of Tech
Editors	Florian Cech, Shelly Farnham
Publisher	Association for Computing Machinery
Pages	89-95
Number of pages	7
ISBN (Electronic)	9781450390569
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1145/3461564.3461593
State	Published - 20 Jun 2021
Event	10th International Conference on Communities and Technologies: Wicked Problems in the Age of Tech, C and T 2021 - Virtual, Online, United States Duration: 21 Jun 2021 → 25 Jun 2021

Publication series

Name	ACM International Conference Proceeding Series

Conference

Conference	10th International Conference on Communities and Technologies: Wicked Problems in the Age of Tech, C and T 2021
Country/Territory	United States
City	Virtual, Online
Period	21/06/21 → 25/06/21

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 ACM.

Funding

We thank the community organizations and individual participants for their contributions to this research. We are grateful to the data analysis efforts of Michelle Chung, Dana Dean, Julia Dean, Ann Dysert, Kayla Guerrero, Jade Shepherd. This work was supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health (grant number 5R34DA044758). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not reflect the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

Funders	Funder number
National Institutes of Health	5R34DA044758
National Institute on Drug Abuse

Keywords

bystander intervention
community-based intervention
emergency response
peer support
public health
substance use

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Access to Document

10.1145/3461564.3461593

Cite this

Marcu, G., Hardin, A., Ataiants, J., Roth, A., Lankenau, S. E., & Schwartz, D. G. (2021). UnityPhilly: Experiences with a Smartphone App that Facilitates Community Response to Opioid Overdoses. In F. Cech, & S. Farnham (Eds.), C and T 2021 - Proceedings of the 10th International Conference on Communities and Technologies: Wicked Problems in the Age of Tech (pp. 89-95). (ACM International Conference Proceeding Series). Association for Computing Machinery. https://doi.org/10.1145/3461564.3461593

Marcu, Gabriela ; Hardin, Amber ; Ataiants, Janna et al. / UnityPhilly : Experiences with a Smartphone App that Facilitates Community Response to Opioid Overdoses. C and T 2021 - Proceedings of the 10th International Conference on Communities and Technologies: Wicked Problems in the Age of Tech. editor / Florian Cech ; Shelly Farnham. Association for Computing Machinery, 2021. pp. 89-95 (ACM International Conference Proceeding Series).

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abstract = "This case study presents the use of UnityPhilly, a community-based smartphone intervention that facilitates layperson response to opioid overdoses. Our analysis focuses the information needs of lay responders. In a Philadelphia neighborhood particularly hard hit by the opioid crisis, 112 participants received training on identifying and reversing an overdose with the drug naloxone, and installed the UnityPhilly app on their smartphone. Over the course of one year, participants used the app to report 291 observed overdoses to one another and EMS, and respond to the scene of 74 overdose incidents. Our case study uses thematic analysis of interviews and survey data collected throughout the community trial. Results indicate that basic functionality was easy to use for many, enabling active user engagement and indicating significant potential for this intervention. However, usability issues included communication and information features during incident response, which were not discoverable. Addressing usability issues and information needs could help lay responders as well as overdose victims.",

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Marcu, G, Hardin, A, Ataiants, J, Roth, A, Lankenau, SE & Schwartz, DG 2021, UnityPhilly: Experiences with a Smartphone App that Facilitates Community Response to Opioid Overdoses. in F Cech & S Farnham (eds), C and T 2021 - Proceedings of the 10th International Conference on Communities and Technologies: Wicked Problems in the Age of Tech. ACM International Conference Proceeding Series, Association for Computing Machinery, pp. 89-95, 10th International Conference on Communities and Technologies: Wicked Problems in the Age of Tech, C and T 2021, Virtual, Online, United States, 21/06/21. https://doi.org/10.1145/3461564.3461593

UnityPhilly: Experiences with a Smartphone App that Facilitates Community Response to Opioid Overdoses. / Marcu, Gabriela; Hardin, Amber; Ataiants, Janna et al.
C and T 2021 - Proceedings of the 10th International Conference on Communities and Technologies: Wicked Problems in the Age of Tech. ed. / Florian Cech; Shelly Farnham. Association for Computing Machinery, 2021. p. 89-95 (ACM International Conference Proceeding Series).

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference contribution › peer-review

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Marcu G, Hardin A, Ataiants J, Roth A, Lankenau SE, Schwartz DG. UnityPhilly: Experiences with a Smartphone App that Facilitates Community Response to Opioid Overdoses. In Cech F, Farnham S, editors, C and T 2021 - Proceedings of the 10th International Conference on Communities and Technologies: Wicked Problems in the Age of Tech. Association for Computing Machinery. 2021. p. 89-95. (ACM International Conference Proceeding Series). doi: 10.1145/3461564.3461593

UnityPhilly: Experiences with a Smartphone App that Facilitates Community Response to Opioid Overdoses

Abstract

Publication series

Conference

Bibliographical note

Funding

Keywords

UN SDGs

Access to Document

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Cite this