The ARTEMIS mission is to encourage and pilot collaborative research by bringing together people with lived/living experience, practitioners (e.g. peer organizations, health departments, clinics, and other community organizations), and researchers (patient-engaged research) to improve the quality of and access to treatment for substance use disorders. This approach allows for a broad scope of activities that will support planning and conducting research and delivering meaningful solutions to the broader community. This includes providing feedback, co-designing research activities, and working together to interpret results and make recommendations.
ARTEMIS offers several ways for partners and stakeholders to support this approach including the Patient Advisory Committee (PAC), the Stakeholder Advisory Committee (SAC), the MY ARTEMIS Discussion Hub, and specific research initiated or reviewed by ARTEMIS.
The three main objectives that will be guided by the PAC and the SAC are:
- Form a patient advisory committee (PAC) and consultation model focused on individuals with lived or living experience of polysubstance use in rural Maryland, guided by the Framework for Continuous Patient and Stakeholder Engagement in Patient Centered Outcomes Research (PCOR). We will recruit 15 patients to the PAC, selecting people representing diverse identities and backgrounds who have experience with poly substance use. The PAC will offer input on research from development to dissemination, guided by lived experience.
- Understand patient experiences with polysubstance use care delivery in rural areas, to document patient perceived barriers, preferences, and strategies for improving service delivery. Guided by the PAC, ARTEMIS will recruit individuals for qualitative interviews to understand awareness of available services, perceived gaps and/or barriers, preferences/facilitators, and experiences of integration and/or fragmentation of polysubstance use care.
- Conduct two pilot projects designed in partnership with the PAC that address the barriers and facilitators identified in the qualitative interviews. Possible studies include (based on hypothesized findings):
- Understanding patient experiences of polysubstance use utilizing rapid ethnographic methods, including intentions for use, patient definitions of polysubstance use, and patterns of polysubstance use.
- Identifying strategies for addressing social determinants of health and improving functional outcomes (i.e., employment) alongside care for polysubstance use.
These pilot study topics were guided by our team’s preliminary qualitative research and patient input, but will be finalized and co-designed with the PAC.