Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT: Background
Although naloxone prevents opioid overdose deaths, few patients prescribed opioids receive naloxone, limiting its effectiveness in real-world settings. Barriers to naloxone prescribing include concerns that naloxone could increase risk behavior and limited time to provide necessary patient education.Objective
To determine whether pharmacy-based naloxone co-dispensing affected opioid risk behavior. Secondary objectives were to assess if co-dispensing increased naloxone acquisition, increased patient knowledge about naloxone administration, and affected opioid dose and other substance use.Design
Cluster randomized pragmatic trial of naloxone co-dispensing.Setting
Safety-net health system in Denver, Colorado, between 2017 and 2020.Participants
Seven pharmacies were randomized. Pharmacy patients (N=768) receiving opioids were followed using automated data for 10 months. Pharmacy patients were also invited to complete surveys at baseline, 4 months, and 8 months; 325 survey participants were enrolled from November 15, 2017, to January 8, 2019.Intervention
Intervention pharmacies implemented workflows to co-dispense naloxone while usual care pharmacies provided usual services.Main measures
Survey instruments assessed opioid risk behavior; hazardous drinking; tobacco, cannabis, and other drug use; and knowledge. Naloxone dispensings and opioid dose were evaluated using pharmacy data among pharmacy patients and survey participants. Intention-to-treat analyses were conducted using generalized linear mixed models accounting for clustering at the pharmacy level.Key results
Opioid risk behavior did not differ by trial group (P=0.52; 8-month vs. baseline adjusted risk ratio [ARR] 1.07; 95% CI 0.78, 1.47). Compared with usual care pharmacies, naloxone dispensings were higher in intervention pharmacies (ARR 3.38; 95% CI 2.21, 5.15) and participant knowledge increased (P=0.02; 8-month vs. baseline adjusted mean difference 1.05; 95% CI 0.06, 2.04). There was no difference in other substance use by the trial group.Conclusion
Co-dispensing naloxone with opioids effectively increased naloxone receipt and knowledge but did not increase self-reported risk behavior.Trial registration
Registered at ClinicalTrials.gov ; Identifier: NCT03337100.
SUBMITTER: Binswanger IA
PROVIDER: S-EPMC9411391 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Aug
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Binswanger Ingrid A IA Rinehart Deborah D Mueller Shane R SR Narwaney Komal J KJ Stowell Melanie M Wagner Nicole N Xu Stan S Hanratty Rebecca R Blum Josh J McVaney Kevin K Glanz Jason M JM
Journal of general internal medicine 20220207 11
<h4>Background</h4>Although naloxone prevents opioid overdose deaths, few patients prescribed opioids receive naloxone, limiting its effectiveness in real-world settings. Barriers to naloxone prescribing include concerns that naloxone could increase risk behavior and limited time to provide necessary patient education.<h4>Objective</h4>To determine whether pharmacy-based naloxone co-dispensing affected opioid risk behavior. Secondary objectives were to assess if co-dispensing increased naloxone ...[more]