Table 1 Overview of work packages
From: Evaluation of heroin-assisted treatment in Norway: protocol for a mixed methods study
Work package | Data source | Research questions | |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | Attitudes and experiences of HAT | In-depth and semi-structured interviews with patients, family members and staff | What are the patients’ and staff’s experiences and views of HAT? What may be the effective and ineffective elements of HAT? What are the patients’ uses of other health and social services when in HAT? What are the patients’ preferences and views of medications in HAT? |
2 | Health, social, and treatment outcomes | Questionnaires Clinical records Registries | Does HAT affect patients’ physical and mental health over time? Does HAT affect use of health and social services and quality of life? Does HAT affect the use of health and social services? Does HAT affect criminal activities? Does HAT affect illicit drug use? |
3 | Serious adverse events | Clinical records | Does HAT affect frequencies of serious adverse events and overdoses among patients? How do these events differ from those among patients in standard OAT? What are the clinical circumstances and outcomes for serious adverse events that occur in the HAT clinic? |
4 | Cost-benefit evaluation | Clinical records Registries Key-account figures | What is the cost-effectiveness of HAT? Does HAT affect societal costs related to social benefits and crime? What is the cost of implementing HAT nationally in Norway? |
5 | Process evaluation | Interviews and questionnaires with patients, staff, and administrators | Are there critical organizational and structural elements of HAT? What are the barriers and success factors for implementing HAT in Norway? Is there a dynamic relationship in the flow of patients between HAT and standard OAT? Which patients are reached by HAT? How can HAT be implemented in the national health services? |
6 | Others | Additional data specified in further protocols | What are the pharmacological and subjective effects of heroin on patients, compared with other OAT medications? |