Entry Category
Overall Social Marketing
Name of Intervention/ Program
Increasing Provider Confidence in MOUDs
Background and Situation Analysis
Washington State continues to face a devastating opioid crisis, with opioid overdose remaining a leading cause of preventable death. Medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD), including buprenorphine and methadone, reduce mortality among people with opioid use disorder (OUD) by more than 50%, yet fewer than 20% of eligible patients receive these evidence-based treatments. While public awareness is important, expanding access ultimately depends on health care providers and first responders recognizing MOUD as a routine, life-saving component of patient care.
To better understand the barriers to MOUD adoption, the Washington State Health Care Authority (HCA) partnered with the agency to conduct a three-phase formative research process. The research included a secondary literature review, interviews with subject matter experts, and 33 in-depth qualitative interviews with clinicians and first responders representing primary care, emergency medicine, behavioral health, obstetrics, pediatrics, EMS and fire services. Research explored participants’ attitudes, beliefs, motivations, perceived barriers, trusted messengers and reactions to potential campaign messages.
The research revealed that low MOUD adoption was not simply a knowledge problem. Among clinicians, the primary barriers included limited training and experience, fear of causing harm, lack of institutional support, time pressures, uncertainty about whether MOUD fit within their role, and persistent stigma toward people with OUD. First responders described many of the same challenges, compounded by protocol limitations, empathy fatigue and uncertainty about whether discussing or administering MOUD was part of their responsibility.
Equally important, the research identified what motivated behavior change. Both audiences wanted practical tools, training, peer support and clear protocols, but they were also driven by a deeper sense of professional purpose. Participants consistently described saving lives, improving patient outcomes and doing “the right thing” as powerful motivators. They responded most positively to messages that acknowledged the realities of frontline care, emphasized MOUD’s evidence base and life-saving impact, reinforced that treatment aligned with their professional role, and pointed them to tangible resources they could immediately use.
The research also identified distinct adoption journeys for clinicians and first responders. Before behavior change could occur, audiences needed to understand why MOUD mattered within their role, how it worked in their clinical context, and ultimately gain the confidence to take action. This became the foundation for the campaign strategy, ensuring every message, tool and communication channel addressed the specific barriers and motivations influencing MOUD adoption.
Priority Audiences(s)
Primary audience:
- Health care providers with authority to prescribe or discuss MOUD.
Secondary audience:
- First responders who regularly encounter people experiencing OUD and influence treatment initiation and referral.
Behavioral Objectives
The campaign was designed to influence specific provider and first responder behaviors that would ultimately increase access to evidence-based treatment for OUD.
The primary behavioral objective for health care providers was to increase the number of clinicians who initiate conversations about OUD, incorporate shared decision-making into treatment discussions, and prescribe or refer patients to MOUD when clinically appropriate. For first responders, the objective was to increase their willingness to discuss MOUD with patients, provide referrals or initiate treatment where protocols allowed, and recognize MOUD as an appropriate extension of emergency response and overdose prevention.
Specifically, the campaign sought to increase providers’ confidence in discussing and prescribing MOUD, strengthen their perception that MOUD falls within their professional role, reduce stigma surrounding both OUD and MOUD, and increase awareness of available clinical resources, tools and support systems.
By addressing these behavioral barriers and reinforcing the benefits of adopting evidence-based care, the campaign aimed to normalize MOUD as a standard component of patient care, creating more opportunities for people experiencing OUD to access life-saving treatment.
Description of Strategy/Intervention
The campaign strategy was built around a simple premise: changing provider and first responder behavior required more than increasing awareness of MOUD. The formative research demonstrated that providers and first responders already understood the seriousness of the opioid crisis. The challenge was helping them see MOUD as part of their professional role and giving them the confidence, support and practical tools to act.
Research revealed that behavior change followed a predictable progression. Before providers were willing to discuss or prescribe MOUD, they first needed to understand why it mattered in their practice, then how it worked, and finally believe they could successfully integrate it into patient care. Similarly, first responders needed to understand that MOUD fit within their role, learn how it worked in an emergency response context, and recognize the immediate impact it could have on patients and repeat overdose calls.
The campaign addressed both tangible and psychological barriers identified through research. Educational resources reduced uncertainty by providing practical guidance, clinical tools, dosing information, conversation guides and referral resources. A dedicated online resource hub, ScalaNW.org/MOUD, gave providers easy access to educational materials, clinical guidance and patient education resources that could be incorporated into everyday practice.
Equally important, the campaign addressed the emotional and social barriers preventing behavior change. Research showed that many clinicians feared causing harm, questioned whether MOUD belonged within their scope of practice or worried about professional judgment from colleagues. Rather than challenging these concerns directly, the campaign acknowledged them and reframed MOUD as an opportunity to fulfill providers’ existing commitment to patient care.
This exchange became the foundation of the creative strategy. Instead of asking busy professionals to take on another responsibility, the campaign offered something of value in return: greater confidence, practical support and the opportunity to deliver higher-quality, life-saving care. The campaign messaging platform, “Care is your commitment. MOUD delivers that care when it counts.” positioned MOUD as both a point of professional pride and a professional duty. By reinforcing that treating opioid use disorder is no different than treating any other serious illness, the campaign sought to normalize MOUD as a standard of care while reducing stigma surrounding both patients and providers.
The intervention also recognized the competitive environment in which providers make decisions. MOUD was competing against deeply entrenched beliefs, limited time, competing clinical priorities, uncertainty about protocols, institutional barriers and longstanding stigma surrounding addiction treatment. Rather than attempting to overcome these obstacles through information alone, campaign messages acknowledged providers’ real-world challenges, emphasized evidence-based outcomes, reinforced their ability to make a meaningful difference and directed them toward practical resources that reduced the perceived complexity of treatment.
Research also informed message framing and tone. Participants consistently preferred communications that were positive, realistic and empowering, while acknowledging the realities of frontline practice. They rejected messaging that felt judgmental, idealistic or implied they were failing their patients. As a result, campaign materials adopted an encouraging, solution-oriented voice that invited participation, reinforcing providers’ competence while recognizing the challenges they face every day.
Finally, the intervention applied audience segmentation throughout the campaign. While clinicians and first responders shared many barriers, each audience required distinct value propositions, messaging and resources. Clinicians responded most strongly to evidence, patient outcomes and integration into routine care, while first responders were motivated by reducing repeat overdose calls, saving lives during critical moments and viewing MOUD as another tool alongside naloxone. Tailoring messaging to these audience-specific motivations ensured the campaign remained relevant, credible and actionable for each priority audience.
Implementation
Implementation focused on making evidence-based information about MOUD easy to access, relevant to clinical practice and available through the professional environments where providers and first responders already seek information.
The campaign centered on a comprehensive online resource hub, ScalaNW.org/MOUD, which served as the campaign’s primary destination. The site provided clinicians and first responders with practical, action-oriented resources, including clinical guidance, shared decision-making tools, patient education materials, conversation guides and links to additional training and support services. Rather than asking audiences to search for information across multiple organizations, the campaign created a centralized resource designed to support immediate application in clinical and emergency response settings.
Recognizing that health care providers and first responders are among the most difficult professional audiences to reach, implementation prioritized trusted channels already integrated into their daily workflows. Research showed these audiences face significant time constraints, constant information overload and limited opportunities for continuing education outside their existing professional networks. As a result, the campaign focused on bringing resources to providers rather than expecting providers to find them.
Owned communications amplified campaign messages through the Washington State Health Care Authority (HCA) and Washington State Department of Health (DOH), including social media, blogs, email newsletters and agency websites. These trusted institutional voices reinforced campaign credibility while directing audiences to the ScalaNW resource hub.
Partnerships played an equally important role in implementation. Professional medical associations, health systems and partner organizations incorporated campaign resources into their existing communications, extending reach through channels providers already trusted. Earned media further reinforced campaign messages through opinion pieces authored by a physician and a first responder and published in Washington’s two largest newspapers, helping normalize conversations about MOUD while elevating respected practitioner voices.
The campaign also established a presence at professional conferences and industry events, where providers and first responders could engage directly with campaign materials, ask questions and learn about available resources. These in-person touchpoints complemented digital outreach and reinforced the campaign’s commitment to supporting professionals across multiple learning environments.
Paid media targeted providers through LinkedIn, YouTube and profession-specific platforms including Medscape, Sermo and Health Union, allowing the campaign to reach clinicians while they were consuming trusted medical information. These placements extended campaign visibility beyond traditional public health communications and into environments where providers routinely engage with peers and clinical content.
By combining audience-specific resources, trusted messengers, integrated communications and accessible educational tools, the campaign translated behavioral insights into a coordinated statewide intervention that met providers where they were, reduced barriers to engagement and supported adoption of evidence-based care.
Evaluation Methods and Results
The evaluation demonstrated meaningful progress toward the campaign’s behavioral objectives. Familiarity with MOUD was high among both audiences, with 60% of providers and 88% of first responders reporting they were moderately or very familiar with MOUD. Confidence (the campaign’s primary behavioral target) also increased with nearly one-third (32%) of providers and more than three-quarters (78%) of first responders reported feeling more confident discussing MOUD than they had one year earlier. These findings align directly with the campaign’s objective of increasing readiness to initiate conversations about evidence-based treatment.
Paid media generated more than 87,785 clicks, directing providers and first responders to ScalaNW.org/MOUD. More than 1,000 clinical resources were downloaded, with shared decision-making guides and buprenorphine education among the most frequently accessed materials, demonstrating demand for practical resources that support clinical conversations.
11% of providers and 18% of first responders had unaided recall of the campaign. Respondents who recalled the campaign reported positive experiences with the materials and indicated they would recommend them to colleagues, suggesting the intervention was highly effective once it reached its intended audience.
Perhaps most importantly, the evaluation confirmed that the campaign reached professionals positioned to create meaningful public health impact. More than three-quarters of providers reported regularly caring for people with OUD, while 88% of first responders reported frequent interactions with this population. By increasing confidence among professionals already serving patients most likely to benefit from MOUD, the campaign strengthened the conditions needed for more routine conversations, greater treatment initiation and continued normalization of evidence-based care across Washington.
Campaign evaluation combined digital analytics with a post-campaign survey to assess implementation, audience engagement and progress toward the campaign’s behavioral objectives. Process measures included paid media performance, website analytics, resource downloads, video engagement and partner distribution. Outcome evaluation was conducted through a 10–15 minute online survey of Washington health care providers (n=148) and first responders (n=50), examining campaign recall, MOUD familiarity, confidence discussing MOUD, attitudes toward OUD, and intended behaviors.
Entry Number: 30