The Harnessing Online Peer Education (HOPE) Intervention for Reducing Prescription Drug Abuse: A Qualitative Study

Social media technologies are newly emerging tools that can be used to address the growing prescription drug epidemic. In this study, we sought to determine the feasibility and acceptability of using social media to reduce complications of opioid use among patients experiencing chronic pain. Specifically, we evaluated the utility of the Harnessing Online Peer Education (HOPE) social media intervention to reduce the risk of addiction and overdose among non-cancer pain patients receiving chronic opioid therapy. University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) patients receiving chronic opioid therapy and UCLA staff were invited to participate in interviews regarding the HOPE intervention. Questions focused on resources used to manage pain, the limitations and benefits of these approaches, and the likelihood of using an online community to reduce complications of opioid therapy. Using an open-coding process, three topics were identified for the patients: 1) online social support is important for improving outcomes, 2) offline social support is helpful for some patients but has limitations, and 3) a tailored, online peer support intervention is needed. Interviews with staff confirmed these results. The HOPE social media intervention and other online communities appear to be an acceptable technology for patients on chronic opioid therapy.