Abstract
Poster presentation
Session J presented Wednesday, October 2, 11:30 am-12:30 pm
Purpose: Opioid use in the United States is on the rise as evidenced by coining of the term the Opioid Epidemic. Effort has been put into decreasing the amount of opioids prescribed, educating the public about proper opioid use and increasing the number of substance treatment venues available. Provision of take home narcan kits to patients at risk of overdose is a new concept that can be implemented in emergency departments across the United States.
Design: This design for this project is creation and implementation of a new process.
Setting: The project was implemented at a level I trauma center in a large academic hospital.
Participants/Subjects: All ED nurses and physicians participated in this project.
Methods: Research into narcan kits, their availability, how they are supplied and how they can be distributed was done. After determining how to obtain the kits, they were ordered and placed in the drug cabinets within the Emergency Department. Education was done with providers and staff about the dispensing of the kits and what education patients would need to receive when being prescribed one of these kits. The kits were then dispensed throughout the next months to patients who presented to the Emergency Department with an overdose or requesting help for opioid addiction.
Results/Outcomes: From March to December of 2018 one hundred and forty eight kits were dispensed to patients from the Emergency Department. Overall this process has been highly successful in providing this important resource to patients in need. The process for implementation and education went seamlessly and allowed for successful project initiation. Physicians and nurses have both found the process straightforward and easy to do. The hope is that the number of patients that have received these kits will ultimately decrease the number of patients presenting with opioid overdoses.
Implications: Narcan kits have successfully been placed in the Emergency Department and a process for dispensing these kits has been implemented. The success of the project is evidenced by the number of kits handed out during the trial period. It is recommended that all emergency departments, including free standing emergency departments, obtain narcan kits and create a process for dispensing them to patients at risk of opioid overdose.
Sigma Membership
Non-member
Type
Poster
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
N/A
Research Approach
N/A
Keywords:
Narcan, Naloxone, Overdose
Recommended Citation
Shipley, Sarah; Wallis, Frankie; Lovelace, Michael R.; Jones, Tamicka S.; and Hardy, Sherichia, "Narcan kits dispensed in the emergency department" (2020). General Submissions: Presenations (Oral and Poster). 124.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/gen_sub_presentations/2019/posters/124
Conference Name
Emergency Nursing 2019
Conference Host
Emergency Nurses Association
Conference Location
Austin, Texas, USA
Conference Year
2019
Rights Holder
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All submitting authors or publishers have affirmed that when using material in their work where they do not own copyright, they have obtained permission of the copyright holder prior to submission and the rights holder has been acknowledged as necessary.
Review Type
Abstract Review Only: Reviewed by Event Host
Acquisition
Proxy-submission
Narcan kits dispensed in the emergency department
Austin, Texas, USA
Poster presentation
Session J presented Wednesday, October 2, 11:30 am-12:30 pm
Purpose: Opioid use in the United States is on the rise as evidenced by coining of the term the Opioid Epidemic. Effort has been put into decreasing the amount of opioids prescribed, educating the public about proper opioid use and increasing the number of substance treatment venues available. Provision of take home narcan kits to patients at risk of overdose is a new concept that can be implemented in emergency departments across the United States.
Design: This design for this project is creation and implementation of a new process.
Setting: The project was implemented at a level I trauma center in a large academic hospital.
Participants/Subjects: All ED nurses and physicians participated in this project.
Methods: Research into narcan kits, their availability, how they are supplied and how they can be distributed was done. After determining how to obtain the kits, they were ordered and placed in the drug cabinets within the Emergency Department. Education was done with providers and staff about the dispensing of the kits and what education patients would need to receive when being prescribed one of these kits. The kits were then dispensed throughout the next months to patients who presented to the Emergency Department with an overdose or requesting help for opioid addiction.
Results/Outcomes: From March to December of 2018 one hundred and forty eight kits were dispensed to patients from the Emergency Department. Overall this process has been highly successful in providing this important resource to patients in need. The process for implementation and education went seamlessly and allowed for successful project initiation. Physicians and nurses have both found the process straightforward and easy to do. The hope is that the number of patients that have received these kits will ultimately decrease the number of patients presenting with opioid overdoses.
Implications: Narcan kits have successfully been placed in the Emergency Department and a process for dispensing these kits has been implemented. The success of the project is evidenced by the number of kits handed out during the trial period. It is recommended that all emergency departments, including free standing emergency departments, obtain narcan kits and create a process for dispensing them to patients at risk of opioid overdose.