The Impact of Naloxone Training and Education in the Community

Abstract

Introduction: The issue of opioid overdose has become a national crisis and is receiving a lot of attention in the media. In the state of Oklahoma, an excess of 900 people (approximately 3 per day) succumb to overdose. Nationally, there were over 42,000 opioid-related drug overdose deaths in 2016. The objective of this study is to determine the impact that education and training have on attitudes and confidence of people in the community to have the ability to recognize and respond to an opioid overdose using naloxone. Methods: Student pharmacists and preceptors will present information about opioid overdose awareness, people who are at risk, how to recognize an opioid overdose, and how to respond to a situation where someone has overdosed. This education also provides training on using intranasal naloxone. Surveys will be conducted both prior to and after the presentation to determine the impact that the education had on knowledge and confidence in using intranasal naloxone in an opioid overdose situation. Surveys from various student groups are being collected, and data from the pre- and post-survey will be compared. Data from the different groups will also be compared to identify how participant background affects survey data.