Rate of Layperson-Administered Naloxone Increased From 2020 to 2022

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 16, 2024 (HealthDay News) — The rate of layperson-administered naloxone (LAN) increased from 2020 to 2022, according to a study published online Oct. 14 in JAMA Network Open.

Christopher B. Gage, from Ohio State University in Columbus, and colleagues assessed whether the frequency of LAN in conjunction with emergency medical services (EMS) activations changed between June 2020 and June 2022. The analysis included 744,078 patients receiving naloxone identified from the National Emergency Medical Services Information System.

The researchers found that the majority of patients were treated in urban homes or residences (86.8 percent urban; 52.9 percent in-home or residence). One-third of naloxone recipients (32.8 percent) had suspected drug overdose documentation as either the primary or secondary impression. During the study period, the percentage change in naloxone administration rates decreased 6.1 percent (from 1,140.1 per 100,000 EMS activations to 1,070.1 per 100,000 EMS activations). However, the percentage change of persons receiving LAN increased 43.5 percent (from 30.0 per 100,000 EMS activations to 43.1 per 100,000 EMS activations).

“Novel public health strategies are needed to measure the effects of this intervention nationally, evaluate approaches to expand naloxone distribution, and address naloxone usage barriers,” the authors write.

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