naloxone Archives

The Authors’ Own Words: An opioid overdose curriculum for medical residents: impact on naloxone prescribing, knowledge, and attitudes

Jan 22, 2020 by AMERSA

The Authors’ Own Words:

We ask authors to describe their impressions regarding the implications of their accepted work, how their findings will change practice, and what is noteworthy about the work.

An opioid overdose curriculum for medical residents: impact on naloxone prescribing, knowledge, and attitudes

Jessica L. Taylor, MD; Alison B. Rapoport, MD; Christopher F. Rowley, MD; Kenneth J. Mukamal, MD; &Wendy Stead, MD

Substance Abuse Vol. 39, Iss. 3, 2018

“Our work builds upon prior medical education research in opioid overdose prevention showing that internal medicine residents know about naloxone and are willing to prescribe, but few have written prescriptions themselves. Our curricular intervention appeared to increase resident knowledge, improve attitudes surrounding naloxone and addiction, and increase self-reported naloxone prescribing. Most importantly, it increased observed prescribing rates to levels that might plausibly impact mortality. To our knowledge, our confirmation of self-reported gains with objective prescribing data represents a novel contribution to the literature. Results demonstrate that the gap between resident interest in opioid overdose prevention and action can be bridged by a brief, targeted intervention.”

The Authors’ Own Words: Barriers and Facilitators to Dispensing of Intranasal Naloxone by Pharmacists

Jan 21, 2020 by AMERSA

The Authors’ Own Words:

We ask authors to describe their impressions regarding the implications of their accepted work, how their findings will change practice, and what is noteworthy about the work.

Barriers and Facilitators to Dispensing of Intranasal Naloxone by Pharmacists

Ludmila N. Bakhireva, MD, PhD, MPH; Adriana Bautista, MD, MPH; Sandra Cano, MA; Shikhar Shrestha, BPharm, MS; Amy M. Bachyrycz, PharmD; & Theresa H. Cruz, PhD

Substance Abuse Vol. 39, Iss. 3, 2018

“This mixed-method study, conducted among New Mexico pharmacists, identified specific barriers and facilitators to dispensing intra-nasal naloxone (INN) and examined the association between these barriers/facilitators and the frequency of INN dispensing. Although New Mexico pharmacists had INN prescriptive authority for over two years and standing orders for more than four months at the time of the study, fewer than half of respondents had ever dispensed INN using either mechanism. One reason for these missed opportunities may be pharmacist concerns about dispensing INN, which were associated with decreased dispensing, even after controlling for other factors. The study also identified that system-level factors, such as supply, reimbursement, type of pharmacy practice, and support from managers, might be important contributors. This study identified a strong need for additional training/education for patients, caregivers, the general public, and pharmacists.”

The Authors’ Own Words: Implementation and Evaluation of an Opioid Overdose Education and Naloxone Distribution (OEND) Program at a Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC)

Jan 7, 2020 by AMERSA

The Authors’ Own Words:

We ask authors to describe their impressions regarding the implications of their accepted work, how their findings will change practice, and what is noteworthy about the work.

Implementation and Evaluation of an Opioid Overdose Education and Naloxone Distribution (OEND) Program at a Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC)

Julienne B. Pauly PharmD, BCPP; Christine M. Vartan PharmD, BCPS; & Abigail T. Brooks PharmD, BCPS

Substance Abuse Vol. 39, Iss. 2, 2018

“Being that accidental opioid overdose has become a national epidemic, it is important to educate all individuals who utilize opioids on risk mitigation strategy. Patients on chronic prescribed opioid therapy were referred to participate in this VAMC OEND programming; many were surprised to learn that despite being on an opioid regimen long-term, accidental overdose can still occur. Participants were encouraged to bring a significant other/friend to the education or identify someone to teach, as the bystander will likely be applying this life-saving information. The project authors also calculated the risk index for overdose (RIOSORD) and serious opioid induced respiratory depression (OIRD) score on all OEND participants. The RIOSORD/ORID is a novel tool that can be utilized by facilities seeking to target patients for OEND or similar programming. The findings and failures of this project can be utilized by other facilities who desire to allocate resources to OEND programming.”

The Authors’ Own Words: Utilizing Risk Index for Overdose or Serious Opioid-Induced Respiratory Depression (RIOSORD) Scores to Prioritize Offer of Rescue Naloxone in an Outpatient Veteran Population: A Telephone-based Project.

Jan 3, 2020 by AMERSA

The Authors’ Own Words:

We ask authors to describe their impressions regarding the implications of their accepted work, how their findings will change practice, and what is noteworthy about the work.

Utilizing Risk Index for Overdose or Serious Opioid-Induced Respiratory Depression (RIOSORD) Scores to Prioritize Offer of Rescue Naloxone in an Outpatient Veteran Population: A Telephone-based Project.

Derek Yates PharmD; Theresa Frey PharmD; & Jean Charles Montgomery MD

Substance Abuse Vol. 39, Iss. 2, 2018

“The authors believe that these results have demonstrated that patients at high risk for opioid-related adverse events are generally amenable to receiving rescue naloxone devices. In the past, one barrier to distribution of naloxone has been the need for a clinic visit to provide education on the use of a naloxone kit due to their complexity. In contrast, this project utilized telephone-based outreach to offer rescue naloxone to patients; this was made possible by the simplicity of recently FDA-approved naloxone delivery devices such as the nasal spray and the autoinjector. With their simple design the newer naloxone delivery devices allow distribution of naloxone with education on its use provided over the phone and reinforced with educational materials mailed to the patients’ homes. Addressing the opioid epidemic is a priority across the nation and services that increase naloxone distribution are essential to primary care clinics. A telephone-based service such as the one described in this paper will enable providers to reach more patients in this less resource-intensive manner and can provide access for patients with barriers to in-person visits.”

The Authors’ Own Words: Awareness of state legislation on naloxone accessibility associated with willingness to prescribe naloxone.

Dec 5, 2019 by AMERSA

The Authors’ Own Words:

We ask authors to describe their impressions regarding the implications of their accepted work, how their findings will change practice, and what is noteworthy about the work.

Awareness of state legislation on naloxone accessibility associated with willingness to prescribe naloxone.

Olihe N. Okoro, PhD, MPH; Karen M. Bastianelli, PharmD; Ya-Feng Wen, PharmD; Elisabeth F. Bilden, MD; Brian K. Konowalchuk, MD; & Mark E. Schneiderhan, PharmD

Substance Abuse Vol. 39, Iss. 1, 2018

“To address the increase in opioid-related deaths, state legislation has been enacted with the intent to increase access of naloxone to high risk individuals. Many clinicians may not be fully aware of naloxone-related state laws that regulate prescribing and distribution of naloxone. The results of this prescriber survey suggest that providers who are more aware of state laws regarding naloxone and confident in their knowledge of dosing, administration, and writing protocols may be more willing to prescribe naloxone. The authors recommend that prescribers be educated on state-specific laws pertaining to naloxone prescribing and use.”