Take-Home Naloxone Is Accepted by Most At-Risk Patients

In a single-center study, 68% of emergency department patients at risk for opioid overdose accepted take-home naloxone when it was offered.

Take-home naloxone for administration by a bystander is recommended for patients at risk for overdose and their contacts, and is somewhat effective at preventing death; it is also likely to be cost-effective (NEJM JW Gen Med Feb 15 2013 and Ann Intern Med 2013; 158:1). In a single-center Canadian study of a take-home naloxone program, investigators determined the proportion of at-risk patients who accepted take-home naloxone when it was offered.

Eligible patients were those aged 16 and older with self-reported illicit opioid use in the past 6 months and an emergency department (ED) presentation consistent with opioid use. Of 201 participants offered take-home naloxone, 68% accepted it. In multivariable analysis, factors associated with accep…

Reviewing Author

Daniel J. Pallin, MD, MPH

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardPortola Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Speaker’s BureauPeerView Institute for Medical Education

Grant/Research SupportAgency for Healthcare Research and Quality; CDC; NIH–National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences; NIH–National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID); NIH–NIAID–Antibacterial Resistance Leadership Group; Merck; Pfizer; Boehringer-Ingelheim; Shire; Portola Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; Novartis; bioMérieux; Siemens; Rapid Pathogen Screening; Magnolia; Stago; Innovative Biosensors; Molecular Detection, Inc.; Dyax Corp.; Trius Pharmaceuticals

Daniel J. Pallin, MD, MPH

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardPortola Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Speaker’s BureauPeerView Institute for Medical Education

Take-Home Naloxone Is Accepted by Most At-Risk Patients

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Reviewing Author