Purpose: To describe the process used in a clinical pharmacist specialist (CPS)-led Opioid Overdose Education and Naloxone Distribution (OEND) program initiative to increase naloxone distribution to veterans at high risk for overdose via provider education and identification of barriers to naloxone distribution.
Summary: Drug overdose is the leading cause of accidental death in the United States. One step toward counteracting the epidemic includes expanding access to and use of naloxone. The Veterans Health Administration has developed initiatives to target veterans at risk for opioid overdose, such as the Veterans Affairs (VA) OEND program. Pharmacists can play a unique role in OEND by both prescribing naloxone and educating patients and providers on risk mitigation strategies. Through provider education, patient education, and facility-wide initiatives, naloxone prescribing was increased by 9-fold from August 2016 to August 2018. In addition, the number of new naloxone prescribers increased by almost 7-fold during the intervention period. Naloxone distribution to high-risk groups drastically increased across all target groups.
Conclusion: CPS involvement in promoting OEND at VAPHS drastically increased rates of prescribing of naloxone kits to veterans at risk for opioid overdose. This initiative showed that a CPS can play multiple roles in supporting OEND outreach at a large healthcare setting.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/ajhp/zxab424 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Expanded Naloxone Distribution by Opioid Overdose Prevention Programs to High-Need Populations and Neighborhoods in New York City.
J Urban Health
January 2025
Department of Population Health Sciences, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, USA.
From 2014 to 2017, the drug overdose death rate per 100,000 in New York City (NYC) increased by 81%, with 57% of overdoses in 2017 involving the opioid fentanyl. In response, overdose education and naloxone dispensing (OEND) efforts were expanded in NYC, informed by neighborhood-level and population-level opioid overdose fatality rates. We describe the demographic and geographical distribution of naloxone by NYC opioid overdose prevention programs (OOPPs; the primary distributor of naloxone to laypersons in NYC) as OEND was expanded in NYC.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Mu-opioid receptors (MORs) are G-coupled protein receptors with a high affinity for both endogenous and exogenous opioids. MORs are widely expressed in the central nervous system (CNS), peripheral organs, and the immune system. They mediate pain and reward and have been implicated in the pathophysiology of opioid, cocaine, and other substance use disorders.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFApproaches, Barriers, and Facilitators in Statewide Initiative to Combat Opioid Overdose: A Narrative Review of Ohio's Experiences During the HEALing Communities Study.
Prehosp Emerg Care
January 2025
Department of Emergency Medicine, MetroHealth Medical Center, Cleveland, Ohio.
Objectives: Opioid-associated fatal and non-fatal overdose rates continue to rise. Prehospital overdose education and naloxone distribution (OEND) programs are attractive harm-reduction strategies, as patients who are not transported by EMS after receiving naloxone have limited access to other interventions. This narrative summary describes our experiences with prehospital implementation of evidence-based OEND practices across Ohio as part of the HEALing Communities Study (HCS).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInsurance coverage and consistent pricing is needed for over-the-counter naloxone.
J Opioid Manag
January 2025
Division of Pharmaceutical Outcomes and Policy, University of North Carolina Eshelman School of Pharmacy, Chapel Hill; South East Area Health Education Center, College of Nursing, University of North Carolina Wilmington, Wilmington, North Carolina. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7507-0631.
With the Food and Drug Administration's approval of the first over-the-counter naloxone nasal spray in 2023, it was expected that access to naloxone nasal spray would increase and that its cost would be reduced. However, the writers of this commentary found varying insurance coverage of naloxone during purchase attempts at local pharmacies. Failure to cover naloxone can reduce access and increase risk of overdose death.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAdvancing Equitable Access to Harm Reduction: Implementation and Early Use of an Outdoor Harm Reduction Vending Machine, Kern County, California, 2023.
Public Health Rep
January 2025
Department of Social Work, School of Social Sciences and Education, California State University, Bakersfield, Bakersfield, CA, USA.
To reduce opioid-related morbidity and mortality, local coalitions on substance use prevention in Kern County, California, have sought to increase equitable engagement and reengagement with harm reduction supplies, including naloxone. Through a community-academic partnership and funding from the local managed health care plan in Kern County, we ordered, stocked, and monitored a temperature-controlled outdoor harm reduction vending machine (HRVM) in Bakersfield, California. We outlined the necessary steps for successful procurement and implementation of community-based HRVMs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWant AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!