It's what the community demands: Results of community‐based emergency opioid overdose trainings

Abstract

Objectives: In response to a surge of drug overdoses involving polysubstance use among Atlanta service industry workers that resulted in the deaths of five people in the Atlanta area in the summer of 2021, a local community of harm reductionists and nurses organized opioid education and naloxone distribution (OEND) training sessions specifically customized for service industry workers in Atlanta. After the sessions, the nurses and harm reductionists asked attendants to participate in a study concerning their response to overdoses. The reason nurses and harm reductionists conducted the study was to determine the efficacy of OEND training adapted for those working in the service industries as well as to evaluate and possibly modify the training sessions for future use. This pre-post study examined if and how participants' knowledge and attitudes toward an opioid-involved overdose changed after engaging with the OEND training. If the study determined that the sessions were successful in teaching service industry workers how to mitigate the immediate and devastating effects of overdose, we recommend expanding and implementing both adaptable training sessions like the OEND training referenced, as well as accompanying studies to improve the training sessions' effectiveness. Design: The pre-post study used convenience sampling to recruit participants in emergent OEND training. Participants completed an abbreviated version the Opioid Overdose Attitudes Scale (OOAS) which measured how, and to what degree, they changed their attitudes towards overdoses and their responses to them. Participants also completed an abbreviated version of the Opioid Overdose Knowledge Scale (OOKS) which measured how effectively the OEND increased their knowledge when it came to properly responding to an overdose, which included implementing naloxone as part of immediate rehabilitation treatment. Paired nonparametric tests assessed changes in participants' OOAS/OOKS scores.

Awareness that cocaine can contain fentanyl among nightclub and festival attendees in New York City, 2018–2022

“…Second, given that this EDM venue‐attending population is becoming increasingly aware that they are at risk for unintentional exposure to fentanyl, it is important that such individuals are educated about naloxone which can reverse opioid overdoses. While formal education programs are likely not necessary, presenting individuals information about naloxone can lead to increased knowledge and self‐efficacy with respect to use (Carter & Caudill, 2020; Febres‐Cordero et al., 2022). Many US cities now have formal naloxone training courses and centers that provide free access to naloxone (Lambdin et al., 2020).…”

Addressing Fear of Negative Consequences of Overdose Response: A Qualitative Study of the Perceptions of Service Industry Workers Who Encounter an Opioid Overdose in an Urban Commercial District in Atlanta, Georgia

“…When developing overdose response training for service industry workers, public health nurses should consider education on existing resources and laws and ways to dispel myths about people who use drugs (Febres-Cordero & Smith, 2022; Febres-Cordero, Smith, et al, 2021). When training service industry workers in OEND, a rapid landscape analysis is recommended to understand the unique culture and subcultures of the service industry workers that require training to address the stigma surrounding opioid use and injecting drug use within their specific community.…”