Opioid Overdose Toolkit

Publication date: 2013

Usage: Public Domain Mark 1.0

Topics: narcotics, education, training, medical complications, medicine, familu, community, prevention, pharmacology, chronic, high risk, death, policy, safety

Publisher: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)

Collection: salis; americana

Language: English

24 pages. Includes all of the five toolkit pamphlets. The Opioid Overdose Toolkit educates first responders, physicians, patients, family members, and community members on ways to prevent opioid overdose. The toolkit also explains how to use a drug called naloxone to prevent overdose-related deaths.
Anyone who uses opioids for long-term management of cancer pain or noncancer pain is at risk for overdose, as are those who use heroin. The good news is we now know that the drug naloxone can be used as an antidote to opioid overdose and can prevent opioid-related deaths when naloxone is administered in a timely manner.
Inside the toolkit are five separate booklets, each designed for a specific audience.
a. Patients can learn how to minimize the risk of opioid overdose.
b. Prescribers can understand the risks of opioid overdose, as well as clinically sound strategies for prescribing opioids, and educating and monitoring patients.
c. First responders will find five steps to use in responding to an overdose, including how to use naloxone and provide other life-saving assistance.
d. Community members can view facts about opioid overdose that can help local governments, community organizations, and private citizens develop policies and practices to prevent overdoses and deaths.
e. Survivors and family members can gain information and support through the information provided in this booklet.