Final Digital Expert Meeting: Defining Quality Standards for Digital Harm Reduction
On February 17-18, the final Digital Expert Meeting took place at the ISGlobal offices in Barcelona, bringing together experts in harm reduction and digital health to complete the third and final round of the Digital Harm Reduction Quality Standards (DHRQS) Delphi Study.
This meeting was the culmination of several months of collaborative work between the BOOST Digital Expert Group, harm reduction professionals, and community-led organizations. The goal? To define practical, evidence-based quality standards that will help guide the implementation, delivery, and evaluation of digital harm reduction services.
The Structure of the Meeting
The Delphi Study—a structured expert consultation process—had already gone through two rounds of feedback before this final session. This in-person meeting served to consolidate insights from previous rounds and ensure that the proposed quality standards are practical, actionable, and aligned with community needs.
To facilitate focused discussions, the meeting was divided into seven topic blocks, each addressing a key aspect of quality standards for digital harm reduction services. Focus group discussions were held for each topic, allowing participants to explore challenges, share expertise, and co-develop solutions.
The seven key topics discussed were:
- Purpose, Scope, and Function – Defining service objectives, target communities, and accessibility considerations.
- Community Engagement and Evidence-Based Practices – Ensuring meaningful involvement of target communities and implementing evidence-based service models.
- Service Operations and Procedures – Establishing clear guidelines for service delivery, staff roles, and referral mechanisms.
- User Accessibility and Interface – Enhancing user-friendly design, multilingual access, and cross-device compatibility.
- Security and Data Protection – Implementing confidentiality measures, data security protocols, and compliance with legal requirements.
- Staff Training and Support – Providing adequate training on digital relationship-building, harm reduction, and self-care.
- Risk Management and External Stakeholders – Addressing risks such as online harassment, platform restrictions, and technical failures.
Who Participated?
The event gathered key experts from a diverse range of harm reduction and digital service organisations, including:
- BOOST WP3 & the BOOST Digital Expert Group – A group formed specifically to support the development of Digital Harm Reduction Quality Standards.
- ABD (WP3)
- Regeneration (WP3)
- EuroNPUD (WP3)
- LILA Milano (WP3)
- Alliance for Public Health
- FEANTSA
- South East Technological University
- London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
- Drogeninformationszentrum (DIZ) / Saferparty Zurich
- Institute of Tropical Medicine Antwerp
What’s Next?
The insights gathered during this meeting will shape the final version of the Digital Harm Reduction Quality Standards. The ultimate outcome of this process will be a publication that serves as a practical guide for community-based and community-led organizations looking to implement high-quality, effective digital harm reduction services.
This meeting was organized by ABD, Correlation, and BOOST WP3, in collaboration with the BOOST Digital Expert Group and key harm reduction professionals.
As we move forward, we look forward to sharing the final publication and supporting the implementation of these quality standards across the harm reduction community.
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