Findings and lessons learnt from implementing Australia's first health service based take‐home naloxone program

• Published in: Drug and alcohol review Vol. 37; no. 4; pp. 464 - 471
• Main Authors: Chronister, Karen J., Lintzeris, Nicholas, Jackson, Anthony, Ivan, Mihaela, Dietze, Paul M., Lenton, Simon, Kearley, John, van Beek, Ingrid
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Australia Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01.05.2018
• Subjects: Attitudes; Australia; Drug overdose; Drug Overdose - drug therapy; Drug use; Female; Harm Reduction; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Health Services; Health Services Accessibility; Humans; injecting drug use; Intervention; Male; Middle Aged; Naloxone; Naloxone - therapeutic use; Narcotic Antagonists - therapeutic use; Narcotics; opioid overdose prevention; Opioids; Overdoses; Prevention; Prevention programs; Program Evaluation; Questionnaires; take‐home naloxone; Uptake; Australia; opioid overdose prevention; take-home naloxone; injecting drug use; opioids
• ISSN: 0959-5236; 1465-3362
• DOI: 10.1111/dar.12400

Introduction and Aims Opioid overdose prevention programs providing take‐home naloxone have been expanding internationally. This paper summarises findings and lessons learnt from the Overdose Prevention and Emergency Naloxone Project which is the first take‐home naloxone program in Australia implemented in a health care setting. Methods The Project intervention provided education and take‐home naloxone to opioid‐using clients at Kirketon Road Centre and The Langton Centre in Sydney. The evaluation study examined uptake and acceptability of the intervention; participants' knowledge and attitudes regarding overdose and participants' experience in opioid overdose situations six months after the intervention. Participants completed baseline, post‐training and follow‐up questionnaires regarding overdose prevention and management which were analysed using repeated measures analysis of variance. Results Eighty‐three people participated in the intervention, with 35 (42%) completing follow‐up interviews—51% reporting using naloxone with 30 overdoses successfully reversed. There were significant improvements in knowledge and attitudes immediately following training with much retained at follow‐up, particularly regarding feeling informed enough (97%) and confident to inject naloxone (100%). Discussion Take‐home naloxone programs can be successfully implemented in Australian health settings. Barriers to uptake, such as lengthy processes and misperceptions around interest in overdose prevention, should be addressed in future program implementation.