Naloxone Use, 911 Calls, and Emergency Visits After Nonfatal Overdose

What services do people who use drugs commonly use following a nonfatal overdose, and what are common reasons for not engaging with care?In this cross-sectional study of a multistate telephone survey of 2097 people who use drugs, 538 had experienced a prior year overdose; of these, 61% had 911 called following a recent overdose, and 47% visited the hospital. Common reasons for not calling 911 included being able to regain consciousness without naloxone or having a bystander administer naloxone.The findings of this study suggest that improving care for survivors of drug overdose may require improving the quality of emergency response services while also ensuring that lay responders have access to naloxone and overdose education.

Corresponding Author: Brendan Saloner, PhD, Department of Health Services, Policy, and Practice, Brown University School of Public Health, 121 S Main St, Room 503, Providence, RI 02903 (brendan_saloner@brown.edu).

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