Improving Jail Response to the Overdose Crisis: A Hybrid Trial of Jail ECHO to Improve MOUD Implementation and Public Health Outcomes (J-ECHO OPS)

June 5, 2026 updated by: Rosemarie Martin, University of Massachusetts, Worcester
This project tests a training strategy to help rural jails start or increase their use of medications to treat opioid use disorder (MOUD - methadone, buprenorphine, naltrexone). Staff from participating jails will attend a series of training sessions, called Project ECHO, that include online learning sessions with skilled experts, case-based discussions (real-world examples), and peer-to-peer learning opportunities. Project ECHO is well-studied in healthcare settings but has rarely been used in correctional systems. Staff from 40 rural jails and local treatment programs will participate in 6 months of core sessions (all participants attend the same sessions), followed by 12 months of continuing sessions (where content is tailored to participants' needs). Staff will complete surveys about their knowledge and experience, and jails will provide data about their services. Researchers will measure changes in MOUD services offered by the jails over time, as well as the impact these changes have on staff's work environment. If Project ECHO helps expand MOUD services, it will offer a blueprint for expanding these life-saving services in other jails nationwide.

Study Overview

Status

Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

100

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Massachusetts
      • Worcester, Massachusetts, United States, 01655
        • UMass Chan Medical School
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Rosemarie Martin, PhD
        • Contact:

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Administrative, security, or healthcare staff in participating jails
  • Employed at the facility a minimum of 3 months

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Ongoing or recent participation in similar organizational improvement project
  • Inability to read or understand English or Spanish

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Health Services Research
  • Allocation: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: ECHO
Subjects participate in a series of facilitated ECHO learning sessions
Behavioral: Project ECHO
Virtual learning sessions, case-based discussions, and peer-to-peer learning

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Increase in MOUD prescriptions (administrative data)
Time Frame: From baseline through the end of sustainment phase (18 months)
Administrative data tracking the number of MOUD prescriptions will be used to assess whether the jail has increased its use of MOUD to treat opioid use disorder relative to baseline.
From baseline through the end of sustainment phase (18 months)

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Organizational climate - Burnout (BAT-4)
Time Frame: From baseline to end of sustainment period (18 months)
Staff surveys measure Burnout via the 4-item Burnout Assessment Tool (BAT-4). Items are scored from 1 (never) to 5 (always), and the mean is calculated (higher scores = greater burnout). Change relative to baseline indicates impact of the intervention on this feature of organizational climate.
From baseline to end of sustainment period (18 months)
Organizational climate - Stress (TCU SOF subscale)
Time Frame: From baseline through end of sustainment period (18 months)
Staff surveys measure Stress via a validated 4-item subscale of the TCU Survey of Organizational Functioning. Items are scored from 1 (disagree) to 5 (agree), and the mean is calculated (higher scores = greater perceived stress). Change relative to baseline indicates impact of the intervention on this feature of organizational climate.
From baseline through end of sustainment period (18 months)
Organizational climate - Job Satisfaction (TCU SOF subscale)
Time Frame: From baseline through end of sustainment period (18 months)
Staff surveys measure job satisfaction using a 6-item validated subscale from the TCU Survey of Organizational Functioning. Items are scored from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree), and the mean is calculated (higher scores = greater job satisfaction). Change relative to baseline indicates impact of the intervention on this feature of organizational climate.
From baseline through end of sustainment period (18 months)
Impact on Staff Knowledge: Opinions About MAT Questionnaire
Time Frame: From baseline through end of sustainment period (18 months)
Staff surveys include this 12-item scale, measuring familiarity, receipt of training, and perceived effectiveness of 4 formulations of medications for opioid use disorder. Each item is rated on a 1-5 scale, with higher scores reflecting stronger endorsement. Overall improvements in any of the 3 domains relative to baseline will indicate the intervention had a positive impact on staff knowledge about MOUD.
From baseline through end of sustainment period (18 months)
Disciplinary infractions (administrative data)
Time Frame: From baseline through end of sustainment phase (18 months)
Administrative data on the number and type of disciplinary infractions in past 6 months will assess the impact of MOUD service expansion on jail operations. Infractions are recorded as violent infractions; non-violent infractions; and instances of MOUD diversion.
From baseline through end of sustainment phase (18 months)
Improvement on Opioid Services Cascade (BJS survey module)
Time Frame: From baseline through end of sustainment period (18 months)
The BJS survey of opioid use disorder screening and treatment (supplement to the 2019 Annual Survey of Jails) measures service delivery (yes/no) using 12 items across 6 domains. An overall score is calculated by summing these responses, with higher scores relative to baseline indicating greater improvements in opioid treatment service delivery.
From baseline through end of sustainment period (18 months)

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

University of Massachusetts, Worcester

Collaborators

National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

July 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

February 28, 2030

Study Completion (Estimated)

May 31, 2030

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

May 16, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

June 5, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

June 10, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

June 10, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

June 5, 2026

Last Verified

June 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • STUDY00002674
  • RM1DA064507 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

YES

IPD Plan Description

Deidentified data from responses to staff surveys

IPD Sharing Time Frame

Analytic files upon publication or no later than end of study (May 2030), indefinitely via public archives

IPD Sharing Access Criteria

Data will be shared via NIH-approved public data repository (likely ICPSR). Registered users who consent to terms of data use agreement will be able to access deidentified data from staff surveys via download or within secure data enclave.

IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type

  • STUDY_PROTOCOL
  • ICF
  • ANALYTIC_CODE

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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