TY - JOUR
KW - Administration, Intranasal
KW - Adult
KW - Analgesics, Opioid/poisoning
KW - Cost-Benefit Analysis
KW - Drug Overdose/drug therapy
KW - Drug Users
KW - Emergency Service, Hospital
KW - Female
KW - Follow-Up Studies
KW - Health Education/organization & administration
KW - Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
KW - Humans
KW - Male
KW - Naloxone/supply & distribution/therapeutic use
KW - Narcotic Antagonists/administration & dosage/therapeutic use
KW - Opioid-Related Disorders/complications/drug therapy
KW - Prescription Drug Misuse/adverse effects
KW - Program Evaluation
KW - Respiration
KW - Retrospective Studies
KW - United States/epidemiology
AU - K. Dwyer
AU - A . Y. Walley
AU - B. K. Langlois
AU - P. M. Mitchell
AU - K. P. Nelson
AU - J. Cromwell
AU - E. Bernstein
A1 - 
AB - INTRODUCTION: Emergency departments (EDs) may be high-yield venues to address opioid deaths with education on both overdose prevention and appropriate actions in a witnessed overdose. In addition, the ED has the potential to equip patients with nasal naloxone kits as part of this effort. We evaluated the feasibility of an ED-based overdose prevention program and described the overdose risk knowledge, opioid use, overdoses, and overdose responses among participants who received overdose education and naloxone rescue kits (OEN) and participants who received overdose education only (OE). METHODS: Program participants were surveyed by telephone after their ED visit about their substance use, overdose risk knowledge, history of witnessed and personal overdoses, and actions in a witnessed overdose including use of naloxone. RESULTS: A total of 415 ED patients received OE or OEN between January 1, 2011 and February 28, 2012. Among those, 51 (12%) completed the survey; 37 (73%) of those received a naloxone kit, and 14 (27%) received OE only. Past 30-day opioid use was reported by 35% OEN and 36% OE, and an overdose was reported by 19% OEN and 29% OE. Among 53% (27/51) of participants who witnessed another individual experiencing an overdose, 95% OEN and 88% OE stayed with victim, 74% OEN and 38% OE called 911, 26% OEN and 25% OE performed rescue breathing, and 32% OEN (n=6) used a naloxone kit to reverse the overdose. We did not detect statistically significant differences between OEN and OE-only groups in opioid use, overdose or response to a witnessed overdose. CONCLUSION: This is the first study to demonstrate the feasibility of ED-based opioid overdose prevention education and naloxone distribution to trained laypersons, patients and their social network. The program reached a high-risk population that commonly witnessed overdoses and that called for help and used naloxone, when available, to rescue people. While the study was retrospective with a low response rate, it provides preliminary data for larger, prospective studies of ED-based overdose prevention programs.
BT - The western journal of emergency medicine
C5 - Opioids & Substance Use
CP - 3
CY - United States
DO - 10.5811/westjem.2015.2.24909
IS - 3
JF - The western journal of emergency medicine
N2 - INTRODUCTION: Emergency departments (EDs) may be high-yield venues to address opioid deaths with education on both overdose prevention and appropriate actions in a witnessed overdose. In addition, the ED has the potential to equip patients with nasal naloxone kits as part of this effort. We evaluated the feasibility of an ED-based overdose prevention program and described the overdose risk knowledge, opioid use, overdoses, and overdose responses among participants who received overdose education and naloxone rescue kits (OEN) and participants who received overdose education only (OE). METHODS: Program participants were surveyed by telephone after their ED visit about their substance use, overdose risk knowledge, history of witnessed and personal overdoses, and actions in a witnessed overdose including use of naloxone. RESULTS: A total of 415 ED patients received OE or OEN between January 1, 2011 and February 28, 2012. Among those, 51 (12%) completed the survey; 37 (73%) of those received a naloxone kit, and 14 (27%) received OE only. Past 30-day opioid use was reported by 35% OEN and 36% OE, and an overdose was reported by 19% OEN and 29% OE. Among 53% (27/51) of participants who witnessed another individual experiencing an overdose, 95% OEN and 88% OE stayed with victim, 74% OEN and 38% OE called 911, 26% OEN and 25% OE performed rescue breathing, and 32% OEN (n=6) used a naloxone kit to reverse the overdose. We did not detect statistically significant differences between OEN and OE-only groups in opioid use, overdose or response to a witnessed overdose. CONCLUSION: This is the first study to demonstrate the feasibility of ED-based opioid overdose prevention education and naloxone distribution to trained laypersons, patients and their social network. The program reached a high-risk population that commonly witnessed overdoses and that called for help and used naloxone, when available, to rescue people. While the study was retrospective with a low response rate, it provides preliminary data for larger, prospective studies of ED-based overdose prevention programs.
PP - United States
PY - 2015
SN - 1936-9018; 1936-900X
SP - 381
EP - 384
EP - 
T1 - Opioid education and nasal naloxone rescue kits in the emergency department
T2 - The western journal of emergency medicine
TI - Opioid education and nasal naloxone rescue kits in the emergency department
U1 - Opioids & Substance Use
U2 - 25987910
U3 - 10.5811/westjem.2015.2.24909
VL - 16
VO - 1936-9018; 1936-900X
Y1 - 2015
ER -