NORTHEASTERN INTERVENTION
CARE & EDUCATION (NICE)
March 2023
Goal
The purpose of this group project was to research an issue related to one of the UN's 17 Sustainable Development Goals, and then design an intervention that could improve this issue within our own community. Through this process, our group aimed to better understand the current experience of students at Northeastern University regarding safe substance use education and resources in order to ameliorate the growing issue of substance abuse and overdoses on campus.
Background
For this project, our group chose to address Sustainable Development Goal 3, Target 5, preventing and treating substance abuse. Three main focus questions drove the research and ideation processes of this project:
1. How might we improve the human experience of substance abuse prevention and treatment at Northeastern University?
2. How might we alter existing resources to increase their effectiveness in reducing the risk of overdose on campus?
3. How might we improve the help-seeking process for individuals dealing with substance related issues?
Research
The research portion of this project consisted of 3 main parts: a literature review, an anonymous survey, and an in person interview with an overdose survivor. This research allowed us to better understand the issue and current actions being taken to mitigate the issue, as well as gain quantitative and qualitative data from our target audience. All of this data helped us identify the successful solutions already in place as well as the pain points of our target audience so that we could come up with our intervention.
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Through our research and affinity diagrams, we found that there are varying amounts of knowledge throughout the student body at Northeastern. The two main statements that we surveyed were, “Substance abuse is an issue on Northeastern’s campus” and “Northeastern has provided me with substantial information regarding safe substance use”. The results of agreeing or disagreeing to these statements were quite vast.
Survey
We produced slips of paper with QR codes of the survey to leave anonymously around the Northeastern campus as well as shared the survey link with our peers via text and social media. Overall we received 39 responses.
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Of the total people we surveyed (46), 8 out of the total were able to identify educational programs on campus that they could go to.
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About 25% of respondents were able to identify Narcan (Naxalone) from an image.
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5 people of the total were able to briefly explain how Narcan (Naxalone) is administered.
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Of the matrix results, we found that while 22 responses indicated that they have been impacted by substance abuse, 50% of responses indicated that they felt as though they had not received sufficient education surrounding the subject. Many even stated receiving no education at all on safe substance use from the university.
Observational Interview
For the observation portion of our research, we spoke to a Northeastern student who has recently survived an overdose. Instead of conducting a formal interview, we made observations from the students personal retelling of the incident.
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The student received no prior education regarding safe substance consumption or the dangers of fentanyl.
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They had never learned about Narcan or how to use it prior to this incident.
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The student's reasoning for experimenting with said substance was curiosity and the influence of a casual attitude regarding substance use from peers.
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The student stated that during the incident, the RA did not have access to Narcan or know how to perform CPR and that the ambulance took over 45 minutes to arrive.
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They also stated that the people helping her once she got to the hospital lacked compassion and treated her as though she was a nuisance.
User Personas
To inform our design decisions based on the experiences and personal preferences of the relevant stakeholders, we created 3 personas from the information gathered through our survey and affinity mapping process. These personas represent the wants and needs of a range of students on campus, and how their identity interfaces with substance abuse and overdose prevention efforts.
Richie, 24
Fifth-year from Waltham, MA
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Richie is a caring RA who is passionate about games and game design. It is his second year working as an RA in East Village. Richie has a personal connection to overdose prevention, having witnessed a friend suffer from depression and an overdose in high school. This experience motivated him to take more active roles in leadership. He remembers a time when one of his residents was showing signs of an overdose; since RA policy prohibits the administration of medical care under any circumstances, Richie did not use the naloxone he keeps in his first aid kit. Because of his immediate call to NUPD, the resident survived and was able to eventually get the help they needed. Richie is committed to creating a safe and supportive living environment for his residents, but feels as though they could benefit from education on the signs of an overdose and how to respond.
Maya, 20
Second-year from Philadelphia, PA
Maya is hardworking and ambitious. She focuses intently on her studies and her future career goal as biochemist. She is a responsible student who takes academics seriously, but she also enjoys spending time with her friends and exploring new interests. Maya is interested in learning more about ways to stay healthy and well while navigating the challenges of college life. She has heard once or twice about student-related overdose emergencies, but does not feel directly affected. Maya wants to help create a supportive campus environment where students can safely and effectively get emergency help when they need it.
Jack, 22 (Persona & User Journey)
Fourth-year from Baltimore, MD
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Intervention
Pain Points
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Lack of memorable education on safe substance
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Lack of compassion from police, hospital staff, etc..
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Lack of emphasis on good samaritan protections
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Lack of support groups for drug related trauma & PTSD
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Lack of advertising for said support groups
Solution Proposal
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Introduction of NICE
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Student-led support group (faculty supervised) with relations to professional counselors and other Northeastern groups (build connections).
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Improve advertising to increase the visibility of current systems and encourage members of the community to more readily engage.
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Provide pre and post care support for anyone who is interested and provide additional resources and information for them that sticks.
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Give students the ability to join NICE to pursue bettering the lives of others around them.
Visualization of Solution
Post-Intervention User Journeys
Richie, 24
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Experiences the event of an overdose in his dorm he is an RA for.
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Finds a flyer about NICE and decides to contact them to learn more.
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Becomes more educated about overdoses and substance abuse
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Becomes a member of NICE to help other students, as well as promotes the group to his peers at school.
Maya, 20
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Discovers NICE through a flyer
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Goes to a meeting to learn more about substance related issues
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Decides she wants to help run meetings and gain more traction for NICE
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Is passionate about educating her campus on how to prevent and treat overdoses
Jack, 22
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Victim of overdose, learns about NICE through advertising
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Shares his experience with other members of NICE and uses it to educate other students on overdosing and PTSD
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Feels much less isolated now that he has an accepting community to share with and help
Reflection
In order to improve the human experience of substance abuse and prevention treatment at Northeastern University, we must consider the several different areas in which intervention could take place as well as how to propose changes without encouraging drug use. It is also important to weigh personal responsibility of students against the responsibility of the university and come up with solutions that supports the improvement of both.
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The majority of the challenges our group faced were related to being overambitious in coming up with a solution to substance abuse and overdose prevention as a whole.
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By narrowing the scope of our project to a university wide, student led effort, we hoped to provide a safe space, education, and resources.
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The survey data and interview were extremely eye opening as to how strongly this issue impacts people in our community as well as the lack of seriousness given to the overdose prevention education.
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The most important thing we learned is that compassion is key to designing for sustainable development. Without compassion, an open mind, and the willingness to learn and accept, it is nearly impossible to come up with a solution to any issue big or small.