Geospatial Clustering of Opioid-Related Emergency Medical Services Runs for Public Deployment of Naloxone.

Introduction: The epidemic of opioid use disorder and opioid overdose carries extensive morbidity and mortality and necessitates a multi-pronged, community-level response. Bystander administration of the opioid overdose antidote naloxone is effective, but it is not universally available and requires consistent effort on the part of citizens to proactively carry naloxone. An alternate approach would be to position naloxone kits where they are most needed in a community, in a manner analogous to automated external defibrillators.

Feasibility of Bystander Administration of Public-Access Naloxone for Opioid Overdose.

Objective: Pre-stationing naloxone, a competitive antagonist that can reverse the effects of opioid overdose, in public spaces may expedite antidote delivery. Our study aimed to determine the feasibility of bystander-assisted overdose treatment using pre-stationed naloxone.

Methods: Convenience sample of bystanders in Cambridge, Massachusetts in April 2017.