Benefits and barriers associated with take-home-naloxone in the view of Italian service providers

Benefits and barriers associated with take-home-naloxone in the view of Italian service providers Sara Rolando, Franca Beccaria, Susanna Ronconi Drugs and Alcohol Today, Vol. ahead-of-print, No. ahead-of-print, pp.- Spanning almost 30 years, Italy’s experience with take-home-naloxone (THN) provides an interesting case study on the international scene because of its specific history, regulation and trends in overdose (OD) rates. Accordingly, this study aims to contribute to the evidence base for THN and its delivery in a different setting. The study focuses on service providers’ perceptions of the benefits, risks and barriers associated with THN provision. Data was collected using a mixed-methods approach as follows: an online structured questionnaire (no. of respondents = 63) and two focus groups (no. of total participants = 18). Findings show that service providers believe the benefits of THN far outweigh the risks and accrue to services, as well as users. The study also suggests that the barriers in Italy are mostly ideological and political, and illustrates how resistance to administering THN can re-emerge when ODs are no longer a social emergency. Furthermore, the study found that health and social workers have different attitudes which are also reflected at the level of public and private services, thereby shaping slightly different models of THN supply. The study suggests that barriers associated to THN are more ideologic...
Source: Drugs and Alcohol Today - Category: Addiction Authors: Source Type: research