ISP: CRISM Implementation Science Program

The Emerging Health Threat Implementation Science Program is a directed grant from CIHR to address the opioid emergency. Following a structured pan-Canadian consultation process facilitated by CRISM, promising emerging and ongoing interventions were identified at local and regional levels to address the opioid emergency. These consultations also identified major deficiencies in intervention options offered in service systems; some provincial/local policies were also recognized as limiting our capacity to quickly and efficiently respond to this crisis.

This project’s objective is to develop and execute an implementation science program in four thematic areas that have high potential for reducing the individual and population burden of opioid use.

CRISM solicited its members to assemble working groups of interested researchers, practitioners, and decision-makers to develop specific projects within thematic areas identified by the NPIs.

These 4 themes were selected because of their high potential for reducing the individual and population burden of opioid use:

1. scaling up public health interventions (i.e., safer consumption services and naloxone delivery);
2. optimizing opioid use disorder treatments (i.e., oral and injectable opioid pharmacotherapy);
3. improving the evidence base for withdrawal management, psychosocial and recovery-based treatment options;
4. collaboratively developing new intervention approaches to meet the needs of high-risk target populations.

$375,000.00 CAD/year over a period of 5 years, consistent with CRISM governance statement submitted to CIHR.

Twelve projects were identified. Each of the four CRISM Nodes are responsible for the coordination of the following projects: