Measuring a Crisis: Questioning the Use of Naloxone Administrations as a Marker for Opioid Overdoses in a Large U.S. EMS System.

Objective: The United States is currently experiencing a public health crisis of opioid overdoses. To determine where resources may be most needed, many public health officials utilize naloxone administration by EMS as an easily-measured surrogate marker for opioid overdoses in a community. Our objective was to evaluate whether naloxone administration by EMS accurately represents EMS calls for opioid overdose.