Findings support the feasibility of naloxone distribution to peer opioid and heroin users and provide recommendations for policy improvement, including effective and well-advertised Good Samaritan laws and links to treatment for opioid use disorder.
Language: English
Preventing opioid overdose with peer-administered naloxone: findings from a rural state
Comparing Projected Fatal Overdose Outcomes and Costs of Strategies to Expand Community-Based Distribution of Naloxone in Rhode Island
In this decision analytical model study evaluating the distribution of 10 000 additional naloxone kits annually in Rhode Island, the strategy focusing on distribution of naloxone according to geographic need to people who inject drugs resulted in the best outcomes at the lowest cost, averting an estimated 25.3% of opioid overdose deaths at an incremental cost of $27 312 per opioid overdose death averted.
Effects of naloxone: A post-overdose care plan
Being revived through naloxone, while lifesaving, is usually a very unpleasant experience for both the overdosed individuals and the individual who administers naloxone. This resource spells out common side effects of naloxone use on opioid-dependent people and provides a list of suggested items useful for post-overdose care.
NACo Opioid Solutions Strategy Brief: Naloxone to Reverse Opioid Overdose
This strategy brief shares basic evidence of naloxone effectiveness and also highlights innovative methods for distribution.
RTI – Optimizing naloxone distribution to prevent opioid overdose fatalities
The objective of this study was to pilot test a multi-component implementation strategy-the systems analysis and improvement approach for naloxone (SAIA-Naloxone) which included (1) analyzing program data to identify gaps in the naloxone delivery cascade, (2) flow mapping to identify causes of attrition and brainstorm programmatic changes for improvement, and (3) conducting continuous quality improvement to test and assess whether modifications improve the cascade.
Compassionate Overdose Response: Summit Highlights and Key Takeaways
Forty experts participated in consensus-building discussion on a standard of care opioid overdose response protocol. A critical message emerged: those responding to an overdose should aim to restore breathing without causing withdrawal by supporting the person’s breathing, giving low or standard doses of naloxone (0.4 mg intramuscular injection and <4 mg intranasal spray) until spontaneous breathing is restored, and creating a calm environment. Despite fluctuations in the drug supply, standard dose naloxone is effective.
Training Guide: Guide to Developing and Managing Overdose Prevention and Take Home Naloxone Projects, NHRC
Providing overdose prevention, recognition, and response education to people who use drugs, their neighbors, friends, families, and the service providers who work with them is a harm reduction intervention that saves lives. This training guide outlines the process of developing and managing an Overdose Prevention and Education Program.
Estimating naloxone need in the USA across fentanyl, heroin, and prescription opioid epidemics: a modelling study
The US overdose crisis is driven by fentanyl, heroin, and prescription opioids. One evidence-based policy response has been to broaden naloxone distribution, but how much naloxone a community would need to reduce the incidence of fatal overdose is unclear. We aimed to estimate state-level US naloxone need in 2017 across three main naloxone access points (community-based programmes, provider prescription, and pharmacy-initiated distribution) and by dominant opioid epidemic type (fentanyl, heroin, and prescription opioid).
Best practices for community-based overdose education and naloxone distribution programs: results from using the Delphi approach
We utilized a modified Delphi approach to develop a set of best practices for OEND delivery. The top 5 ranked best practices were ensuring that SSP participants have low barrier, consistent, needs-based access to naloxone and that there is ample naloxone available within communities. While the remaining fifteen best practices were deemed important, they had more to do with organizational culture and implementation climate.
