Naloxone: Closing the Access Gap

What you'll learn

Course overview

Opioid overdose deaths in the United States have risen dramatically in the last decade, largely driven by illicit fentanyl and other synthetic opioids. Naloxone, a mu-opioid receptor antagonist, rapidly and safely reverses the effects of an opioid overdose. Increased access to naloxone has been identified by the US DHHS and the Surgeon General as a key initiative for reducing opioid overdose deaths. However, less than 1 in10 patients who could benefit from naloxone have access to this life-saving antidote. Healthcare professionals can lead the way toward closing the naloxone access gap. This activity provides participants with data describing opioid-related harms in the United States, discuss cutting-edge public health and pharmacy-driven initiatives for increasing access to naloxone, and identify key research findings that pertain to strategies for identifying patients at risk for unintentional overdose and increasing access to life-saving harm reduction interventions.