Other
New Research: A Capture-Recapture Study to Estimate the Prevalence of Problem-Opioid Use in Ireland (2020 – 2022)
A research project by the School of Public Health at University College Cork, commissioned by the Health Research Board.
Background
Opioid use is a major problem in Ireland. It is therefore important for government and support agencies to know how many people are impacted by the negative effects of opioids on a regular basis. The most recent figures from 2019 estimate that there are between 19,522 – 21,608 problematic opioid users in Ireland.
The Health Research Board (HRB) has commissioned a team from the School of Public Health in University College Cork (UCC) to estimate how many people used opioids in Ireland between 2020 – 2022. To calculate the numbers, we’ll use information from methadone prescribers and the Irish Probation Service.
Why is this Research Important?
This research will provide information to services who support people who use drugs. It will also help inform policy development in Ireland. This project is a continuation of work conducted over the last 20 years and will allow us to examine changes in opioid use in Ireland over time. This will help government and support agencies predict where services will be needed in the future.
Aims
The overall aim of this project is to provide an up-to-date estimate of how many people use opioids in Ireland between 2020 – 2022.
Methods
We will be using a type of indirect statistics to conduct this research as we know it will not be possible to count all people who use opioids. This method is known as the “capture-recapture method”. To do this, we will access information from the National Drug Treatment Centre and the Irish Probation Service.
Personal data such as name, date of birth, gender and address will be collected from various agencies (listed above). This is to make sure the same person is not counted twice. No other information about a person’s drug use will be collected. Once the data are received and checked they will be fully anonymised and not shared with any third parties.
Ethical Approval, Consent Declaration and Data Protection
For this research it is very important that we can count everybody that links with the National Drug Treatment Centre and Probation Service. We will check personal details to make sure that we are not counting the same person twice and anonymise the data immediately after that. Withdrawal of personal data from the study is limited. This is because only by accurately counting every person that accesses support for their opioid use can we inform services who can then develop policies to respond to their needs.
This research has received ethical approval from the Clinical Research Ethics Committee of the Cork Teaching Hospitals and a consent declaration approved by the Health Research Consent Declaration Committee (HRCDC). This approval means that we don’t have to contact every single person included in the study for individual consent.
For More Information
For further information on personal data processing rights, please contact UCC’s Data Protection Officer by email at gdpr@ucc.ie.
To learn more about this study please contact the Research Support Officer for this project - Dr Michael Hanrahan, michael.hanrahan@ucc.ie
Funding
This project is funded by the Health Research Board.
Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind (IGDB)
An evaluation of the Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind (IGDB) Assistance Dogs programme for families of children with Autism in Ireland
Animal assisted therapy (AAT) and the use of assistance dogs (service dogs) has received growing attention as a means of aiding children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind launched the first assistance dogs programme for familites of children with autism in Ireland in 2005. Assistance dogs provide an environmental safety mechanism whereby the dog is trained to prevent a child from ‘bolting’, and will alert parents to threats in the home and community environment. Other benefits of assistance dogs include improved social interactions and psychological well-being. There is now increased interest in establishing the efficacy of assistance dogs programmes.
Professor Ivan Perry and Dr. Louise Burgoyne are undertaking a study with the Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind (IGDB) looking at the impact of their Assistance Dogs programme on families of children with Autism.
Project Aim
To evaluate the impact of having an assistance dog on the quality of life of parents/guardians and families with children who have autism.
Project Objectives
- Measure quality of life indicators in parents/guardians with ASD who have an assistance dog (treatment) and in parents/guardians of children with ASD who are on the waiting list for an assistance dog (control).
- Measure safety from environmental hazards in the child with ASD in families who have an assistance dog (treatment) and in families who are on the waiting list (control).
- Compare quality of life and environmental indicators in treatment and control groups.
- Measure essential family demographics: over all learning level of child with ASD and any specific programmes, current treatments/interventions.
- Explore with parents, the impacts of having an assistance dog on sociability and communication skills in children
- Explore the impact of having an assistance dog on day to day family life.