Framing, Narratives, and the Overdose Crisis

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Health Policy
• Sociology of Medicine

Background:

• The overdose crisis has been historically shaped by specific narratives and framing strategies.
• Control over knowledge regarding opioids in chronic pain management has influenced clinical practice and guidelines.
• Dominant narratives play a critical role in defining public health problems and determining appropriate policy solutions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze how different narratives and framing influence the overdose crisis.
• To understand the interactions among diverse stakeholders (patients, clinicians, industry, regulators, etc.).
• To propose a more effective approach for addressing public health emergencies by engaging multiple perspectives.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative analysis of narratives and framing in the overdose crisis.
• Stakeholder analysis to understand diverse perspectives and interactions.
• Literature review on the sociology of medicine and health policy.

Main Results:

• Identified how specific narratives and framing have guided responses to the overdose crisis.
• Demonstrated the impact of knowledge control on opioid prescribing and clinical guidelines.
• Highlighted the influence of dominant frames on policy definition and solution selection.

Conclusions:

• A nuanced understanding of framing dynamics is essential for clarifying stakeholder interactions.
• Relying on a single dominant narrative is less effective than engaging multiple perspectives.
• Adopting a multi-perspective approach offers a more robust strategy for managing complex public health crises like the overdose epidemic.