Naloxone Education: Patient Perspectives

Abstract

Disclaimer: "The views expressed in this abstract are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy of the Department of Army/Navy/Air Force, Department of Defense, or U.S. Government. Naloxone is recommended as a risk mitigating strategy to reduce the incidence of death associated with opioid overdoses. Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WRNMMC) developed and implemented the first Pharmacist-led naloxone prescription initiative within the Department of Defense. Research question: were WRNMMC pharmacists providing patients with accurate naloxone education? A survey was performed to determine the information being provided to patients. The military Health Population database was accessed to generate a list of 100 patients who recently received naloxone. A team member contacted the 100 patients and administered a survey. Results showed that 87.7% of the responders indicated they received pharmacy education. 52.6% of those receiving education received both verbal and written education, 33% received verbal education only, and 14% received written education only. 93% of those who received education had someone available to administer the naloxone in case of an emergency. 96.5% of those receiving education responders still had their naloxone and knew where their naloxone was kept. As the first DoD pharmacist led naloxone dispensing pharmacy, pharmacists identified patients within our patient population at high-risk for an opioid overdose and acted as a catalyst for increasing naloxone prescriptions and percent of prescriptions written by pharmacists. The results of the survey demonstrate that the majority of our patients were educated about naloxone, however, some slight adjustments in the workflow need to be made to make certain all our patients are being educated. Disclaimer: "The views expressed in this abstract are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy of the Department of Army/Navy/Air Force, Department of Defense, or U.S. Government. Naloxone is recommended as a risk mitigating strategy to reduce the incidence of death associated with opioid overdoses. Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WRNMMC) developed and implemented the first Pharmacist-led naloxone prescription initiative within the Department of Defense. Research question: were WRNMMC pharmacists providing patients with accurate naloxone education? A survey was performed to determine the information being provided to patients. The military Health Population database was accessed to generate a list of 100 patients who recently received naloxone. A team member contacted the 100 patients and administered a survey. Results showed that 87.7% of the responders indicated they received pharmacy education. 52.6% of those receiving education received both verbal and written education, 33% received verbal education only, and 14% received written education only. 93% of those who received education had someone available to administer the naloxone in case of an emergency. 96.5% of those receiving education responders still had their naloxone and knew where their naloxone was kept. As the first DoD pharmacist led naloxone dispensing pharmacy, pharmacists identified patients within our patient population at high-risk for an opioid overdose and acted as a catalyst for increasing naloxone prescriptions and percent of prescriptions written by pharmacists. The results of the survey demonstrate that the majority of our patients were educated about naloxone, however, some slight adjustments in the workflow need to be made to make certain all our patients are being educated.