One Paramedic's Perspective on Civilian Naloxone Distribution

The U.S. surgeon general, Dr. Jerome Adams, recently issued the first national public health advisory in 13 years. He wants more civilians to start carrying naloxone “to help combat the nation’s opioid crisis and save lives.” Since 2010, the number of Americans who die from opioid overdoses annually has more than doubled, and in 2016 there were more than 42,000 deaths. The need for a multifaceted strategy to combat this deadly epidemic is clear. Among many EMS providers, there’s a great deal of angst directed at civilian naloxone distribution programs, as well as at opioid overdoses in general. If you look at the comments section of social media posts related to these topics, the frustration, anger, and lack of compassion is painfully and publicly obvious. Some seem to think that an increase in naloxone availability will lead to an increase in the number of overdoses because the drug users will be emboldened and feel like there’s a decreased risk. Others believe that the public safety response to overdoses—especially for those unfortunate people who overdose multiple times—is a total waste, because the people choose to use drugs. There are also some providers who feel like the naloxone distribution programs aren’t justified because items used to treat other medical emergencies (e.g., rescue inhalers and epi-pens) aren’t distributed in the same fashion. These arguments are substantively flawed. The suggestion that naloxone distribution will increase drug use ...
Source: JEMS Patient Care - Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: Tags: Patient Care Administration and Leadership Source Type: news