TY - JOUR
KW - Drug overdose
KW - Drug Overdose/drug therapy
KW - Health Services Accessibility/legislation & jurisprudence
KW - Humans
KW - Legal liability
KW - Liability, Legal
KW - naloxone
KW - Naloxone/therapeutic use
KW - Narcotic Antagonists/therapeutic use
KW - Opioid-Related Disorders/drug therapy
KW - Opioids
KW - Public Health
KW - United States
AU - J. E. Brodrick
AU - C. K. Brodrick
AU - B. Adinoff
A1 - 
AB - BACKGROUND: Since the late 1980s, opioid-related morbidity and mortality in the United States has dramatically increased. This serious epidemic requires a coordinated medical, public policy, and social response. It is becoming readily apparent that widespread provision of naloxone may help to address this problem. However, because naloxone access laws vary between states, the extent of antidote dissemination may be limited by a given provider's geographic location. OBJECTIVE: This review targets a physician or prescriber audience, in hopes of providing evidence for the safety and utility of naloxone, education on the baseline legal liability of naloxone provision and protections afforded by access laws, and resources for the proposal of statewide legislation to promote antidote distribution. CONCLUSION: Evidence suggests that naloxone administration by laypersons, pursuant to physician prescription or standing order, is safe and effective for reversal of opioid overdose. As of July 2015, 44 states and the District of Columbia have passed naloxone access laws, offering varying degrees of protections for prescribers. Although the likelihood of naloxone-related legal action may parallel that inherent to the usual practice of medicine, providers should be mindful of potential scenarios, exercise methods to mitigate risk, and appreciate the utility of comprehensive naloxone access legislation in orchestrating a coordinated response to the opioid overdose epidemic.
BT - The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse
C5 - Opioids & Substance Use; Education & Workforce
CP - 2
CY - England
DO - 10.3109/00952990.2015.1109648
IS - 2
JF - The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse
N2 - BACKGROUND: Since the late 1980s, opioid-related morbidity and mortality in the United States has dramatically increased. This serious epidemic requires a coordinated medical, public policy, and social response. It is becoming readily apparent that widespread provision of naloxone may help to address this problem. However, because naloxone access laws vary between states, the extent of antidote dissemination may be limited by a given provider's geographic location. OBJECTIVE: This review targets a physician or prescriber audience, in hopes of providing evidence for the safety and utility of naloxone, education on the baseline legal liability of naloxone provision and protections afforded by access laws, and resources for the proposal of statewide legislation to promote antidote distribution. CONCLUSION: Evidence suggests that naloxone administration by laypersons, pursuant to physician prescription or standing order, is safe and effective for reversal of opioid overdose. As of July 2015, 44 states and the District of Columbia have passed naloxone access laws, offering varying degrees of protections for prescribers. Although the likelihood of naloxone-related legal action may parallel that inherent to the usual practice of medicine, providers should be mindful of potential scenarios, exercise methods to mitigate risk, and appreciate the utility of comprehensive naloxone access legislation in orchestrating a coordinated response to the opioid overdose epidemic.
PP - England
PY - 2016
SN - 1097-9891; 0095-2990
SP - 117
EP - 128
EP - 
T1 - Legal regimes surrounding naloxone access: considerations for prescribers
T2 - The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse
TI - Legal regimes surrounding naloxone access: considerations for prescribers
U1 - Opioids & Substance Use; Education & Workforce
U2 - 26809471
U3 - 10.3109/00952990.2015.1109648
VL - 42
VO - 1097-9891; 0095-2990
Y1 - 2016
ER -