More bystanders are stepping up to prevent opioid overdoses. But it’s not nearly enough
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More bystanders are using naloxone to prevent people from overdosing on opioids.
Naloxone, commonly called by its brand name Narcan, reverses the effect of an opioid overdose. And while EMTS have used the life-saving medicine for years, there’s been a decade-long push to increase its use among people with no medical training.
It seems to be working. Ohio State University researchers studied bystander overdose responses. They found that, between 2020 and 2022, there was a 43% increase in naloxone’s use among lay people.
“That's dramatic for any intervention. So it means that the word is getting out and people are starting to get it in their hands,” said Ashish Panchal, one of the study’s researchers.
While Panchal said this jump signifies major progress, the study also showed that bystander-prevented overdoses are still relatively rare. Laypeople used naloxone in only around 3% of 911 calls involving opioid overdoses, according to the study.
“We really need to amp up what we're doing so that we can reach into the communities and continue to save lives,” Panchal said. “This is a good sign. It's the first sign we're getting a good pulse check. But we need to do more.”
Progress in public health
In the last decade, there has been a big push to get naloxone in the hands of more people. As the opioid overdose epidemic worsened, Panchal said emergency responders realized that bystanders are a necessary part of saving lives.
“The sooner we get there, just like CPR, the sooner we start, the sooner we can actually start saving a life,” Panchal said. “So when we moved forward with our public awareness campaigns, one of the biggest things was to get Narcan in the hands of the people who could actually use it. That's the bystanders, the people who are there who can now become lay rescuers and give the medication earlier.”
Last year, Naloxone was approved to be sold over-the-counter, opening up even wider distribution of the medicine. Panchal said he believes it’s making a difference. For the first time in a long time, Ohio is seeing a drop in overdose deaths.
“We believe that [naloxone availability] may be part of the picture, but the picture is so large that we do not have causation,” Panchal said. “We don't know that answer yet. But the bundle of care that we're providing is good and it's working.”
Increasing education
In Ohio, there are naloxone vending machines, naloxone in school classrooms, on college campuses and state-funded distribution programs. Now, Panchal said the state should also focus on targeting high-risk populations and increasing education on how to use naloxone to respond to an overdose.
Many times, Panchal said people are afraid to respond – out of fear of doing something wrong or bringing further harm to the situation. He wants more Ohioans to feel confident in their ability to prevent an overdose.
“As we start increasing the education that we give to the communities as a whole, we will expect to see an increase in the use of the medication,” Panchal said.
Slow breathing, paleness and purple fingernails or lips are all common signs of an overdose, according to Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).Panchal encourages people to err on the side of intervening and administering naloxone. The medication will not harm anyone, even if they are not overdosing. But, if they are, Panchal said, it could save their life.
“One of the most important things that we as a community need to learn is that we are part of this community,” Panchal said. “We are the people who are going to change lives. We need to get engaged, get active and be the people on the front lines ourselves.”
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