(Press-News.org) ITHACA, N.Y. - As overdoses from fentanyl and opioids continue to rise, many communities have created interactive overdose dashboards showing data trends and community resources to help with substance abuse.
However, there’s not much research looking at how effective these dashboards are at helping public health officials make data-driven decisions, especially in rural areas.
Researchers from Cornell University are filling that gap.
They collaborated with Cayuga County Mental Health in developing an overdose dashboard that enables data-driven decision making and spreads substance abuse information in that region.
The researchers found three-quarters of the dashboard users surveyed said they used the data to inform decision-making. More than half – 54% – said they used the dashboard at least monthly. Most – 97% – said they thought the dashboard was easy to use.
Respondents were a mix of substance users, their close contacts, health care providers, law enforcement and local public health and mental health care professionals.
“We’re hopeful this work will provide roadmap to other communities developing a dashboard,” said Corinna Noel, assistant professor of practice in the Department of Public and Ecosystem Health.
Following its launch in 2023, Noel and fellow researchers conducted an evaluation of the Cayuga County Overdose Data Dashboard. The source data for the dashboard comes from an overdose map reported by law enforcement on a weekly basis.
The research team used a 10-minute online survey to collect feedback from people older than 18 living or working in Cayuga County, asking them to reflect upon their experience using the dashboard, including ease of use, most valued design feature and overall perceived effectiveness.
Users said of the eight different types of overdose-related information available on the dashboard, they most valued the locations of treatment and recovery services, followed by the locations of free, publicly accessible Naloxone, and trends in fatal and nonfatal overdoses.
For additional information, read this Cornell Chronicle story.
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Study of overdose dashboard in Cayuga County shows value of real-time data
2025-08-19
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