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Introduction: Bystander naloxone distribution is an important component of public health initiatives to decrease opioid-related deaths. While there is evidence supporting naloxone distribution programs, the effects of increasing naloxone availability on the behavior of people who use drugs have not been adequately delineated. In this study we sought to 1) evaluate whether individuals' drug use patterns have changed due to naloxone availability; and 2) explore individuals' knowledge of, access to, experiences with, and perceptions of naloxone., Methods: We conducted a pilot study of adults presenting to the emergency department whose medical history included non-medical opioid use. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with participants and thematic analysis was used to code and analyze interview transcripts., Results: Ten participants completed the study. All were aware of naloxone by brand name (Narcan) and had been trained in its use, and all but one had either currently or previously possessed a kit. Barriers to naloxone administration included fear of legal repercussions, not having it available, and a desire to avoid interrupting another user's "high." Of the eight participants who reported being revived with naloxone at least once during their lifetime, all described experiencing a noxious physical response and expressed a desire to avoid receiving it again. Furthermore, participants did not report increasing their use of opioids when naloxone was available., Conclusions: Participants were accepting of and knowledgeable about naloxone, and were willing to administer naloxone to save a life. Participants tended to use opioids more cautiously when naloxone was present due to fears of experiencing precipitated withdrawal. This study provides preliminary evidence countering the unsubstantiated narrative that increased naloxone availability begets more high-risk opioid use and further supports increasing naloxone access.

Introduction: Emergency department (ED)-based naloxone distribution programs are a widespread harm reduction strategy. However, data describing the community penetrance of naloxone distributed from these programs are lacking. This study gauges acceptance of naloxone use and monitoring technology among people who use drugs (PWUD), and explores the use of real-time location systems (RTLS) in monitoring naloxone movements., Methods: A prospective observational study was conducted on a convenience sample of individuals (N = 30) presenting to a tertiary-care academic medical center ED for an opioid-related complaint. A naloxone kit equipped with a low-energy Bluetooth (BLE) tracking system was employed to detect movement of naloxone off the hospital campus as a proxy for community penetrance, followed by a qualitative interview to gauge participant acceptance of naloxone use and monitoring technology., Results: Detection of BLE signals verified transit of 24 distributed naloxone kits off our hospital campus. Three participants whose BLE signals were not captured reported taking their kits with them following discharge, suggesting technological errors occurred; another three participants were lost to follow-up. Qualitative interviews demonstrated that participants accepted ED-based naloxone distribution programs and passive tracking technologies, but revealed concerns regarding hypothetical continuous monitoring systems and problematic interactions with first responders and law enforcement personnel., Conclusions: Based on acquired BLE signals, 80% of dispensed naloxone kits left the hospital campus. Use of RTLS to passively geolocate naloxone rescue kits is feasible, but detection can be adversely affected by technological errors. PWUD are amenable to transient monitoring technologies but identified barriers to implementation.

Emergency Department (ED)-based initiation of buprenorphine-naloxone is increasingly recognized as standard care in treating patients with opioid withdrawal and opioid use disorders. We provide an ED buprenorphine-naloxone order set to facilitate home and in-ED induction. This clinical tool was developed by an interdisciplinary group of experts at our institution. We were unable to identify any similar electronic decision-support tools for reference when we created our own. Our goal in sharing this order set is to accelerate the development of similar tools in other healthcare settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]