cover image: A Response to Illicit Drug Overdoses

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A Response to Illicit Drug Overdoses

8 Mar 2017

The purpose of this study is to discuss the role of fire first responders in combatting opioid overdoses by examining the characteristics of these incidents, the role of fire first responders in the pre-hospital system of care, the readiness of fire first responders to respond to overdose and administer naloxone, and the challenges and opportunities associated with this response. [...] In an effort to assess fire first responders’ experiences with naloxone administration and the training associated with the protocol there were key stakeholder meetings, a review of naloxone administration information, a 9 survey of firefighters in Surrey and Vancouver, and focus group sessions13 at four halls chosen in an effort to engage with first responders who had a higher likelihood of havin [...] In looking at the respondents’ perceptions regarding the impact of the initial training, 85.4% of the participants found the training “very useful” in relation to the overdose events. [...] A common theme in the hall discussions was a general comfort with the protocol and an endorsement of the usefulness of the training with a concomitant agreement that “more training is never a bad thing”. [...] One of the most critical issues discussed at all four halls was a sense of despair about the “band-aid” approach of the harm reduction strategy that is naloxone in the face of “overwhelming system failures to deal with the root causes of drug abuse.” Hall participants voiced frustration at the plight of the patients they respond to on a daily basis asking questions such as “there’s got to be a bet
health psychology fentanyl heroin medicine pharmacology substance abuse drug overdose addiction health treatment british columbia naloxone opioids opioid medical specialties certified first responder opioid overdose overdoses opioid overdoses drug overdoses
Pages
21
Published in
Vancouver, BC, CA

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