The impact of a pharmacist-led naloxone education and community distribution project on local use of naloxone.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the use and public perception of naloxone through distribution and education by pharmacists at local health screenings in low-income communities in Western Pennsylvania.
METHODS: A prospective study was conducted, offering education on opioid use disorder and naloxone to individuals attending community outreach events in Allegheny County, PA. Participants with interest and willingness to use naloxone in the event of an opioid overdose were offered naloxone nasal spray and additional training. These individuals were asked to complete a survey at the time of naloxone provision and were recontacted by telephone at a later date to collect follow-up data. The primary objective of the study was to ascertain naloxone use at follow-up. Secondary objectives of the study were to measure the difficulty of obtaining naloxone, identify any change in knowledge of naloxone before and after pharmacist intervention, and assess public perception of stigma associated with naloxone initiatives. Data were analyzed using descriptive and univariate comparative statistics.
RESULTS: A total of 265 people received naloxone, and 132 (49.8%) completed the initial survey. Fifty-seven participants subsequently completed both surveys (43.2% follow-up). Naloxone was utilized by 3.5% of respondents over an average of 3 months. Participants' perception of obtaining naloxone before the study was evenly distributed (35.8% never tried, 32.1% difficult, and 30.2% not difficult). A total of 52.6% of respondents believed that naloxone initiatives decreased the stigma of illicit opioid use.
CONCLUSION: Naloxone provided in the community setting was utilized by a small percentage of the general public in the 2- to 4-month follow-up. Pharmacists can provide naloxone education and training within communities affected by high opioid overdose rates.