Tech can't fix the opioid epidemic - but it can reduce deaths

By Sean Rada

We’ve witnessed a technology revolution in the public health and medical fields in the last decade. 

The federal government began collecting and examining data on opioid-related deaths in 2015. This data, aggregated within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), soon became actionable. HHS gave communities billions of dollars in grants to fight the crisis between 2016 and 2019. Many online pharmacies shut down. Physicians faced stricter measures when prescribing medications. Even big pharma took shared accountability, as we saw most recently with the $150 million settlement reached against Purdue Canada.

Overdose deaths on the rise

The number of U.S. overdose deaths surpassed 100,000 for the first time last year. Nearly 80 percent were linked to opioids according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). As of June 2022 we are losing about 12 people daily, says Janeen Interlandi who asks in her editorial: Why aren’t we doing more to prevent addiction, and subsequent death, as a society?

As somebody with personal ties to overdose loss, I know technology alone cannot solve a problem so deeply human and personal. Preventing addiction and overdose in an over-medicated, flawed public health system cannot be fixed with an easy button.

But I know technology can make a difference. 

Together, the team and I started by looking into what problems we could realistically solve. 

My team and I started by looking into what problems we could realistically solve. 

Communities facing barriers

We absorbed CDC data and examined where and when overdose deaths took place across the country. This revealed trends, and several issues suited to a technology-driven solution.

One trend stood out most: A significant percentage of deaths in the last decade were because stronger drugs - with fentanyl - shortened the time window between overdose and death, leaving little room for intervention. 

stronger drugs - with fentanyl - shortened the time window between overdose and death, leaving little room for intervention. 

The widespread distribution of fentanyl in rural areas, which used to be largely localized to urban areas, revealed unprecedented logistical problems. This prevented people who had overdosed from receiving lifesaving interventions.

To combat deaths, many communities began installing kiosks that dispensed naloxone, taking first responders out of the equation and putting the lifesaving drug into the public’s hands. The kiosks also collected data about where overdoses were happening and more, increasing the need for naloxone.

Naloxone kiosks are costly, and they aren’t legal in all states. The drug is regulated differently by state. Additionally, because of the stigma related to opioid use and overdose, some regional leaders choose not to get kiosks for fear of their community appearing as an opioid overdose hot spot.

XoneAid: A bold solution

What became clear to us was it wasn’t so much a matter of what needed to be done to reduce overdose deaths but how technology could support reversing overdose, as the CDC calls it - in the right locations quickly. At every level and dimension of the crisis, there were stakeholders with critical information that could save lives, but it wasn’t getting into the right hands in time.

What became clear to us was it wasn’t so much a matter of what needed to be done to reduce overdose deaths but how technology could support reversing overdose in the right locations quickly

Our objective was to build a solution that quickly facilitates the flow of data between the right people to get resources to hot spots before anybody dies. 

XoneAid does just that. It uses artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning to predict where the next overdose outbreaks will happen, giving decision makers time to put resources in place to save lives. 

A lifesaving cycle, powered by AI

XoneAid connects three main “critical data” audiences to create a lifesaving cycle.

• First responders (data providers) on the scene of an overdose know critical information in their roles. They know the time and location of an overdose, and sometimes even the chemical makeup of the substance. They feed this data into XoneAid.
• Decision makers can use the aggregated data from first responders to deploy resources, such as naloxone kiosks, quickly, and in some cases before a wave of overdoses start. The system can learn from first responders’ data, then identify and predict overdose hot spots. 
• People who are substance-dependent and their loved ones can find kiosks near them, using mobile technology, to prevent overdose deaths.

XoneAid is a bold solution that, if used to its full potential, will also require bold changes for communities across the country.  

XoneAid is a bold solution that, if used to its full potential, will also require bold changes for communities across the country.  

Learn more

At Rigil, we’re encouraged to make life better however we can, and I’m proud to have contributed in some small way to a solution with the potential to prevent opioid overdose deaths. Contact me to learn more about XoneAid.

About the author

Sean Rada is Rigil’s Deputy Director, Technology Solutions. He oversaw the development of Rigil’s flagship productions including StrataGem and iViews, and many solutions developed in the company’s Innovation Hub including XoneAid. He’s a graduate of the University of Virginia. Connect with him on LinkedIn.

About Rigil

Rigil is an award-winning strategy, technology, and products company committed to making life better for every individual and community they support. Founded in 2005 as a woman-owned business, Rigil had one premise: There is always a better way. A better way to serve customers, deliver solutions, and foster a balanced working community. Learn more at www.rigil.com.