Stability of Opioid Dose Assessor (SODA)

Being on the right dose is crucial. The right dose for you will be different to someone else. It’s not a magic number. SODA provides that crucial support inform individuals and help make positive change.

For people with opioid dependence, being on the correct (optimal) dose of methadone and buprenorphine is an important factor in treatment efficacy. Underdosing Opioid Agonist Therapy (OAT) leaves people at risk of use and overdose. Many of those receiving OAT have poor understanding of how treatment works including issues relating to dose and effect, which limits the efficacy of treatment. To help patients get the most out of their treatment they need to have a clear understanding of how treatment works, the benefit of higher dosing and most importantly what the right dose is for them instead of being tied to a magic number or focusing on the fact that higher doses will result in a longer period of dose reduction to abstain.SODA aims to help patients identify for themselves, through a simple questionnaire, what the right (optimal) dose is for them. Put simply, the optimal dose of OAT is one that leaves people free from withdrawal between doses (preferably for at least 28 hours), so for those on supervised dosing, getting their dose does not become a preoccupation or cause of distress if other activities need to be attended to or they are unable to pick their dose up at their usual time. This can reduce craving, cessation or provide a significant reduction in regular on-top use and does not cause sedation.SODA has been developed in conjunction with user organisations and treatment service providers as well as focus group tested with a number of patients with Professor Adam Winstock.

Digital product design

We wanted to build an accessible product design framework that wouldn’t intimidate or frustrate audiences. At the same time it needed to be clear and concise to underpin the very clinical topic that it was addressing. We implemented a soft palette of gradients alongside a clinical and accessible font choice that alluded to the pharmaceutical nature of the product. We also employed the use of emoji’s within the results table so that we could remove any stigma or tone through wording and hopefully provide people comfort in seeking out further assistance if required. 

Database architecture

We needed to make sure that there was a robust database architecture that underpinned the product. It would need to scale to handle an exponential amount of data with anonymous users potentially using a randomly generated login based on an ID generated within the app. We had to think how best to develop this digital product so that it could produce results quickly and be scalable. We adopted a React framework that was combined with a Google Firebase realtime database. This was prototyped and tested through all phases of product exploration right up to product release.

Creating a healthcare digital product?

We assist entrepreneurs and enterprise organisations in taking new digital products to market. This often involves initial concept planning, commercial and investment conversations and brand positioning alongside the scoping of the product specification itself. We achieve this through workshop sessions, conceptual storyboarding and prototype testing. Speak with our team to begin your project today.