Safeguarding public health with the Norwegian Directorate of Health

The rising misuse of prescription drugs pose severe public health challenges in Norway. Reliance on prescription medication for pain, insomnia, and anxiety often mask root causes and create long-term dependencies. The Norwegian Directorate of Health aimed to prevent addiction, minimize harm, and ensure safer treatment methods. Together, we explored future scenarios and key insights, laying the groundwork for a national strategy to combat the growing dangers of prescription drug misuse.

There is not a one-size-fits-all solution to complex societal challenges. Through a series of sense-making sessions and expert interviews, we identified and visualized recurring problem areas, which laid the groundwork for creating future scenarios. To validate and refine our ideas, we conducted workshops with healthcare professionals, former addicts, activists, industry professionals, and policymakers, creating scenarios to identify root causes and possible interventions.

The insights from diverse groups of stakeholders enabled us to fuel further iterations of future scenarios, which are now being applied by the Norwegian Directorate of Health to explore new possibilities and define actionable paths forward in their 2035 strategy. By understanding the future scenarios, we could enrich the dialogue necessary to improve national strategies and foster change.