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Awareness weeks guide

International Overdose Awareness Day

International Overdose Awareness Day

31 August 2024

International Overdose Awareness Day (IOAD) – held on August 31 every year – is the world’s largest annual campaign to end overdose, remember without stigma those who have died and acknowledge the grief of family and friends left behind.
The theme for 2024 is “Together we can”, highlighting the power of our community when we all stand together. International Overdose Awareness Day

UpToDate

Useful resources

Reports

Articles

Harm reduction

Research

Stigma

E-books

E-journals

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Articles

Harm reduction

An implantable system for opioid safety
The opioid epidemic continues to cause significant morbidity and mortality across the US. The implantable system for opioid safety (iSOS) is an implantable, autonomous device that measures vital signs and detects opioid overdose events. The system is implanted under the subcutaneous tissue, has a rechargeable battery that can last up to 14 days, and contains an integrated, refillable drug reservoir that holds a 10-mg naloxone payload. Detection of opioid overdose is facilitated by a unique sensor-fusion algorithm that confirms a likely opioid overdose. A pumping mechanism then rapidly infuses naloxone to reverse the overdose. Testing of the components of the iSOS in a swine model demonstrates the ability of the iSOS to detect both rapid opioid overdose with apnea and gradual opioid poisoning with hypopnea, for both of which naloxone is indicated. The iSOS is a system that may ultimately benefit patients and clinical providers by providing individuals with opioid use disorder with an extra layer of protection to prevent a fatal overdose. Device 14 August 2024

Overdose prevention centres as spaces of safety, trust and inclusion: A causal pathway based on a realist review
Overdose prevention centres (OPCs) can enable people who live with structural violence and vulnerability to develop feelings of safety and trust that help them stay alive and to build longer term trajectories of social inclusion, with potential to improve other aspects of their health and living conditions. Drug and alcohol review 5 August 2024

Opioid agonist treatment outcomes among individuals with a history of nonfatal overdose: Findings from a pragmatic, pan-Canadian, randomized control trial
Among adults with OUD and a history of overdose, overall retention rates were low but improved when retention in any treatment was considered. These findings highlight the importance of flexibility and patient-centered care to improve retention and other treatment outcomes in this population. The American journal on addictions 10 August 2024

A systematic review exploring healthcare professionals' perceptions of take-home naloxone dispensing in acute care areas
Impact 
What is already known:

  • Deaths due to opioid overdose are a global health concern, with take-home naloxone emerging as a key harm reduction scheme.
  • Globally, less than 10% of people who use drugs have access to treatment initiatives, including take-home naloxone.
  • An optimum point of distribution of take-home naloxone is post-acute hospital care.

What this paper adds:

  • There is role confusion regarding responsibility for the provision of take-home naloxone and patient education. This is exacerbated by inconsistent provision of training and education for healthcare professionals.
  • Logistical or financial concerns are common and moral issues are prevalent with some healthcare professionals questioning the ethics of providing take-home naloxone.
  • Stigma towards people who use drugs remains evident in some acute care areas which may impact the use of this intervention.

Implications for practice/policy:

  • Further primary research should examine what training and education methods are effective in improving the distribution of take-home naloxone in acute care.
  • Education should focus on reduction of stigma towards people who use drugs to improve the distribution of take-home naloxone.
  • Standardized care guidelines may ensure interventions are offered equally and take-home naloxone ‘champions’ could drive initiatives forward, with support from harm reduction specialists.

Journal of advanced nursing 2 April 2024

Harm reduction and treatment among people at high risk of overdose
The findings of this study suggest there are substantial gaps in the use of evidence-based treatment and harm reduction services that could reduce overdose risk. JAMA 12 August 2024

“Expected to happen”: perspectives on post-release overdose from recently incarcerated people with opioid use disorder
The perspectives of people with lived experience are vital to understanding the disproportionate risks of overdose for those recently released from incarceration. These results highlight the intersectional factors that produce and reproduce the post-release overdose risk environment, providing support for interventions across each domain of the Risk Environment Framework. By capturing perspectives from people with lived experience of OUD and incarceration during this critical period of risk, we can better identify interventions that target and mitigate overdose-related harm in this population. Harm reduction journal 22 July 2024

 

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Research

‘The gear could be cut with fentanyl which is starting to happen more in Australia’: exploring overdose survivors’ perspectives on toxic supply and safe consumption
There are risks faced by people who use opioids due to an unpredictable and toxic drug supply, particularly with the presence of fentanyl. These findings underscore the importance of implementing proactive harm reduction strategies, including safe consumption spaces, to address the harms of synthetic opioids. Drugs: Education, prevention and policy 19 August 2024

A multicentre case series of analytically confirmed gamma-hydroxybutyrate intoxications in Western Australian emergency departments: Pre-hospital circumstances, co-detections and clinical outcomes
Key points

  • This study evaluated analytically confirmed GHB emergency department presentations in Western Australia.
  • Over half the patients were female and a third required intensive care, with a reduced conscious state common.
  • Methylamphetamine was co-detected in 82.2% of cases.
  • Analytical confirmation of drug toxicity provides objective evidence to inform public health and harm reduction responses.

Drug and alcohol review 1 March 2024

Growing burden of gamma-hydroxybutyrate intoxication on emergency department resource utilization
GHB presentations to ED are rising and the impact on acute bed space and clinical resources is significant. Emergency clinicians need to be aware of the typical short-lived course of GHB overdose. Deciding when and who to intubate remains difficult, but knowledge that intubation is not commonly required is important, providing ventilation and oxygenation are adequate. Emergency medicine Australasia 19 July 2024

Stocking and supplying naloxone: Findings from a representative sample of community pharmacies in Victoria, Australia
Less than half of Victorian community pharmacies stock naloxone, with even fewer actually supplying it in the past year. Future efforts are needed to increase the number of pharmacies that stock naloxone and the frequency in which it is supplied, while also addressing possible barriers to stocking and supplying naloxone among community pharmacists. Drug and alcohol review 1 May 2024

Correlates of stocking naloxone: a cross-sectional survey of community pharmacists
This study aimed to identify naloxone stocking rates and correlates of stocking naloxone across Australian pharmacies. There is scope to increase stocking of naloxone and comfort with overdose prevention, particularly through addressing comfort working with higher risk groups such as people who use illicit opioids. International journal of clinical pharmacy 23 July 2024

Predicting risk of Heroin Overdose, remission, use, and mortality using ensemble learning methods in a cohort of people with Heroin dependence
Using data from the 11-year follow-up of the Australian Treatment Outcome Study (ATOS), the authors aimed to develop a clinical risk prediction model to assist clinicians calculate the risk of a range of heroin-related outcomes at varying follow-up intervals for their clients based on known risk factors. International journal of mental health an addiction 26 February 2024

Analysis and mapping of harm reduction research in the context of injectable drug use: identifying research hotspots, gaps and future directions
This study provides insights into research landscape on harm reduction in injectable drug use. Research is concentrated in high-income countries, emphasizing the need for more research in low- and middle-income countries. Recent publications focus on emerging challenges like COVID-19 and fentanyl. Research gaps highlight the need for studies in diverse populations, social determinants, program evaluation, and implementation strategies to enhance harm reduction interventions. Harm reduction journal 10 July 2024

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Stigma

Factors associated with experiencing stigma, discrimination, and negative health care treatment among people who inject drugs
Highlights

  • More than half of people who inject drugs in this cohort study reported experiencing stigma.
  • Experiences of stigma were less common than in broader community samples of people who inject drugs.
  • Stigma related to injecting drug use was more common than stigma related to hepatitis C.
  • Factors associated with different indicators of stigma can inform interventions to reduce stigma.

International journal of drug policy 24 May 2024

Stigma, and factors associated with experiencing stigma, while visiting health-care services among samples of people who use illegal drugs in Australia
Key Points

  • Experiences of stigma when visiting health-care services is relatively common among different populations of people who use illegal drugs.
  • Women and participants with higher levels of psychological distress were more likely to experience stigma in both samples.
  • Past-year overdose was associated with stigma among the sample of people who inject drugs.
  • Unstable housing and incomplete high school education were associated with stigma in the sample of people who use ecstasy and/or other illegal/non-prescribed stimulants.
  • These findings highlight the multiple and intersecting dimensions of stigma and provide further support for recent calls for a universal precautions approach to stigma in health care.

Drug and alcohol review 21 April 2024

Somebody to lean on: Understanding self-stigma and willingness to disclose in the context of addiction
The current study examines the influence of individual-level factors (race, sex, urban/rural status, support group attendance) on self-stigma and willingness to disclose opioid use. International journal of environmental research and public health 8 August 2024

Patient perceptions of and experiences with stigma using telehealth for opioid use disorder treatment: a qualitative analysis
The forms of stigma experienced by individuals with OUD are complex and multifaceted, as are the ways in which those experiences interact with telehealth-based care. The mixed results of this study support policies allowing for a more individualized, patient-centered approach to care delivery that allows patients a choice over how they receive OUD treatment services. Harm reduction journal 27 June 2024

Language matters: A critical discourse analysis of how substance use disorders are portrayed in a primary care journal over the last 20 years
Pejorative language can have negative implications for those with substance use disorders (SUDs), an already marginalized population of individuals. It is therefore imperative that authors, reviewers, and readers make deliberate efforts to use language that conveys respect, minimizes judgment, and avoids perpetuation of stigma for those with SUDs. Journal of addiction science 11 may 2024

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E-books

This is just a sample of the e-books the library subscribes to – you will need your library login

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E-Journals

A sample of the journals the library subscribes to – you will need your library login

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