Integrating a low-barrier drug checking platform into public health responses to overdose

确保更安全的药物供应的措施是减少用药过量的一个重要组成部分 死亡芬太尼试纸快速、灵敏、便宜，但不能提供任何信息 效力、纯度或其他有害掺杂物的存在。迫切需要 这些技术可以识别所有存在的组件，并提供有关 活性成分的浓度。不列颠哥伦比亚省是加拿大吸毒过量的中心 危机和温哥华岛的经验过量死亡率超过两倍的国家 指数.维多利亚大学的研究人员和实习生是 将便携式光谱学用于药物检查，作为对过量用药的公共卫生反应。 与岛屿卫生局合作，我们建议扩大我们目前的药物 检查服务，以支持一项有潜力满足所有需求的技术： 对检测低浓度高度敏感，成本低，能够广泛分布， 用于消除或大大减少科学家操作仪器的需要 并解释结果。我们是一个独特的化学和社会工作的支持合作 通过计算机科学在以患者为导向的研究框架内工作， 卫生保健使用者、卫生保健提供者和卫生系统决策者。我们的经验 操作一套最好的便携式光谱仪， 设置通知本建议，以构建和实施一个综合平台， 继续技术进步，以提高便携性，能力，速度和准确性，但 而且成本更低，用户界面不需要雇佣训练有素的员工， 专业人我们的项目提出了一个药物检查平台，有可能克服 工具和人员费用的障碍，以促进公共卫生最充分地融入 药物过量策略中的药物检查。

Measures to ensure a safer drug supply are an essential component of reducing overdose deaths. Fentanyl test strips are fast, sensitive, and cheap, but cannot provide any information on potency, purity, or the existence of other harmful adulterants. There is an urgent need for technologies that can identify all components present and provide information on the concentration of active ingredients. British Columbia is the epicenter of Canadas overdose crisis and Vancouver Island experiences overdose deaths rates more than twice the national average. Researchers and student trainees at the University of Victoria are leaders in employing portable spectroscopy to drug checking as a public health response to overdose. In collaboration with Island Health Authority, we propose to expand on our current drug checking services to champion one technology which has the potential to meet all needs: highly sensitive to detect low concentrations, low cost to enable broad distribution, and ease of use to either eliminate, or significantly reduce the need for scientists to operate instruments and interpret results. We are a unique collaboration of Chemistry and Social Work supported by Computer Sciences working within a Patient Oriented Research framework that engages health care users, health care providers and health system decision makers. Our experience in operating a suite of the best portable spectrometers available in health and harm reduction settings informs this proposal to construct and implement an integrated platform that continues technological advances to improve portability, capability, speed and accuracy but also at a lower-cost and with a user interface that does not require employing highly trained technicians. Our project proposes a drug checking platform that has the potential to overcome the obstacles of instrument and staffing costs to facilitate public health to most fully integrate drug checking within the overdose strategies.