Fix Narcotic Abuse Cycle Before Throwing Naloxone at Every Overdose Patient

This past year, the National EMS Advisory Council (NEMSAC) recommended a change to the National Scope of Practice Model, whereby EMTs and EMS first responders would be allowed to administer the opiate antagonist naloxone to patients in cases of suspected overdose. A predictable Path Naloxone has been receiving a lot of attention lately, and while EMS leadership considers a change to BLS scope, the drug is already being administered by police officers in many locales. It's also currently available over the counter in pharmacies in several states, and many EMS systems have already made the leap to BLS naloxone by the intranasal route. This push to make naloxone more universally accessible is being driven by a resurgence in IV opioids, particularly in certain parts of the country. Tighter controls on prescription painkiller pills have also had the ironic effect of increasing IV narcotics use, thereby resulting in not only more, but also deadlier, overdoses. Naloxone is an efficacious antidote, and there's no real downside to using it. As a result, there's now an entire advocacy movement pushing for its increased availability. Their perspective isn't so different, perhaps, than the one that led to fire extinguishers in every stairwell and smoke detectors in every room.
Source: JEMS Patient Care - Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: Tags: Columns Patient Care Administration and Leadership Source Type: news