designing for understanding
Opioid Education Packets
A suite of materials to educate patients about opioids. This trio of informational booklets covers what to know before starting an opioid prescription, what to do in the event of an overdose, and how to begin tapering off opioids.
This work was done in partnership with doctors at UC Davis Health, and doctors at Hill Country Health—a rural clinic serving patients in the small Northern California mountain towns outside of Redding, CA.
These materials are available as an open-source resource and have been adapted by healthcare organizations in 16 states and in Canada. They were also awarded Bronze in the International Institute for Information Design 2020 Awards.
Project at a glance
Teams I collaborated with:
UC Davis Center for Design in the Public Interest (DiPi)
Doctors at UC Davis Health
Doctors at Hill Country Clinic
UC Davis student researchers
Key elements of my role:
Outcome:
Open-source materials have been adopted for use by healthcare organizations in 16 US states and in Canada
Awarded Bronze in the International Institute for Information Design 2020 Awards
Book 1: some things you should know about opioids before starting a prescription
Starting on opioid medication is a life-changing prospect. Current agreement materials are akin to legal contracts, which few patients read or understand thoroughly. For illiterate patients, this process becomes more problematic. The majority of patients simply do not completely understand the decisions they are about to make.
This book covers difficult concepts like tolerance, dependence, and addiction using plain language and clear visuals. The contents of this book also exist as a video, which is shown to patients in the UC Davis Health system before they agree to begin an opioid prescription.
Book 2: How to use a naloxone kit in the event of an overdose
Naloxone is a medication that can save someone who is having an opioid overdose.
Most likely to be used in a highly stressful, life-or-death situation, this guide is designed for quick comprehension. The fold-out poster gives overdose signs to look for, and answers some basic questions to put the user at ease (for example, you can’t hurt someone by giving them Naloxone). It covers the three most common naloxone administering methods.
These guides are being distributed at primary care clinics in the UC Davis Health system. It is currently being translated into Spanish, with additional languages to follow.
Book 3: Ten questions you might have about tapering (and room for your own)
Tapering—the gradual lowering of a dosage—can be scary for patients who have been on opioids for a long time. This guide is meant to help ease some of those fears and open dialogue between patients and providers. Also included are charts for measuring withdrawal symptoms in order to identify those that might require contacting your health professional.
This booklet covers some of the same content as the “Tapering Talk” video.
