Participatory Action Planning to Address the Opioid Crisis in a Rural Virginia Community Using the SEED Method

Emily B Zimmerman,Dawn E Moser,Carlin L Rafie,Angelina Hargrove,Courtnaye Adams Mills,Toni Noe

doi:10.35844/001c.13182

Abstract

The SEED Method is a multi-stakeholder approach that was created to involve diverse stakeholders in the development and prioritization of research questions using community-based participatory research (CBPR) principles. Here we describe an adaptation of the SEED Method that focuses on developing and prioritizing strategies for addressing a health problem and bringing stakeholders together to develop and implement community action plans based on those strategies. We describe steps for implementing the SEED Method for community action planning and the results of a case study in a rural Virginia community with high opioid prescription and mortality rates. A participatory research team worked with three groups of Topic stakeholders to gather data, develop conceptual models, and create and prioritize strategies for reducing prescription and non-prescription opioid misuse and overdoses. Each group came up with 19 to 25 strategies and prioritized their top five, which included actions, services or programs, strategies, policies, and system changes. Attendees at community action planning meetings reviewed the 15 prioritized strategies, proposed three additional strategies, and prioritized their top choices. Community stakeholders started four work groups to implement the selected strategies in collaboration with the research team.

Highlights

Community-based participatory research (CBPR) is an approach to creating research in partnerships between communities and researchers (Israel et al, 2012; Wallerstein et al, 2018)
Our team implemented the SEED Method in a rural Virginia community to address an issue of great concern to the community: high rates of opioid misuse and overdoses
Community stakeholders, who knew about a previous project completed by our CBPR team using the SEED Method, asked if we could start a project on the opioid issue in their community

Summary

Introduction

Community-based participatory research (CBPR) is an approach to creating research in partnerships between communities and researchers (Israel et al, 2012; Wallerstein et al, 2018). Select number and types of stakeholder Topic groups Develop a meeting schedule (time and place) for each Topic group; prepare materials (e.g., data, description of method, schedule, contact sheets) Research team members provide and participate in training on conducting focus groups and interviews; facilitate interview question development; recruit focus group and interview participants; plan and conduct meetings Discuss findings and summarize data to share with Topic group participants and other stakeholders Facilitate and document all Topic group meetings Review and edit conceptual models and lists of strategies. In addition to providing a shared knowledge base for research team members, the presentations and materials created in this step can be used with the Topic groups and during community action planning meetings and other dissemination opportunities. EM held weekly three-hour meetings during phase I of the project, except during the weeks when they were facilitating Topic group meetings

The Toolkit contains the following matrices to aid in stakeholder selection

Strengths and Limitations

Findings

Methods