The Covid-19 pandemic has underlined the importance of effective responses to rapidly developing dangers to public health. Accurate data are the basis on which effective monitoring systems are built and trends derived to inform policy and to plan services. In recent years, new tools have been developed to gather and report drug-related information faster than the traditional routine systems. These tools have proved particularly useful in recent months, as innovative approaches have been needed to record and analyse the impact of the crisis on people who use drugs and on services. 

Shortly before the introduction of restrictions to deal with the pandemic, Ana Liffey Drug Project published a Trendspotter study on street tablet use in Ireland. Trendspotting is a technique for assessing information using multiple research methods to rapidly expand knowledge on an area of interest. It has been developed by the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA). The report is summarised in this issue of Drugnet Ireland and is a fine example of collaborative working between non-governmental organisations and scientists to make valuable information on a pressing topic available quickly. 

EMCDDA applied its trendspotting methodology to analyse the impact of Covid-19 and also produced reports on changes to the illicit drugs market. In a very different setting, the Evidence Centre of the Health Research Board (HRB) has refined its approach to research synthesis in the area of health services and policies and have several different products available for use in different situations. We were able to respond quickly to a request from the Department of Health to contribute to its rapid assessment of effects of the pandemic on the drugs situation. Our evidence brief is also summarised in this issue and uses the tools developed by the HRB to provide descriptive accounts of topics of immediate concern. 

The response to the threat that Covid-19 presented to the vulnerable homeless population at the beginning of the pandemic was exemplary. The statutory and community and voluntary sectors worked in a highly efficient and coordinated way to ensure the safety of homeless people and people who use drugs. A number of those directly involved in this work have recorded this experience so that the lessons learned can inform future interventions.1 This is an excellent example of an innovative and responsive approach to research, using the knowledge gained from routine monitoring and other information resources to present a compelling narrative and provide a guide for the future. 

There are lessons here for the broader research and monitoring environment. If we make full use of the information that is available, in excellent monitoring systems and the knowledge of practitioners and service providers, then the benefits for those who use these services will be immense. We’ve seen how the State can respond to a crisis when the evidence is clearly presented and there is the confidence and the capacity to use this evidence. 

O’Carroll A, Duffin T and Collins J (2020) Saving lives in the time of COVID-19: case study of harm reduction, homelessness and drug use in Dublin, Ireland. London: London School of Economics and Political Science. https://www.drugsandalcohol.ie/32291/