Education on Naloxone Nasal Spray for Bayless Integrated Health Center

Abstract

Purpose: The primary purpose of this quality improvement project was intended to provide clinical providers and nonclinical staff at Bayless Integrated Healthcare Center targeted education and training on administering naloxone nasal spray as well as increase their baseline knowledge, comfort, attitude, and readiness to use naloxone nasal spray in the treatment of opioid overdose.Background: Opioid overdose crisis continues to be a significant public health concern that requires a harm reduction approach including naloxone distributions, increasing bystander education and involvement on naloxone use to mitigate opioid overdose deaths, improve the quality of the public's health as well as social and economic welfare in the US communities. Method: This quantitative, descriptive quality improvement project delivered an evidence-based education intervention via asynchronized learning to staff and providers at a local clinical setting. The educational intervention presented information on opioid overdose risk, recognition of an individual experiencing opioid overdose symptoms, and using the naloxone nasal spray kit to reverse the effects of overdose. Pre- and post-surveys were used to evaluate the impact of the educational intervention on pre- and post-differences in knowledge, comfort, attitude, and readiness to intervene. The self-administered opioid overdose knowledge scale and opioid overdose attitude scale was used to evaluate pre- and post-participant responses. Result: Pre- and post-surveys were analyzed using a cumulative percentage and mean average scores. Seven (N=7) clinical and nonclinical staff participated and completed the education intervention. Comparison of pre- and post-survey results indicated an increase in participants’ knowledge (+7% gain) and increase in participants comfort, attitude, and readiness to use naloxone nasal spray to treat opioid overdose (mean average +0.89 increase). Conclusion: The delivery of educational interventions to clinical and nonclinical increased participant knowledge, comfort, attitude, and readiness to intervene in the treatment of opioid overdose using Naloxone nasal spray. It is critical to close that knowledge gap, reduce stigma, and improve attitudes among the clinical providers and nonclinical staff on the use of naloxone nasal spray in the treatment of opioid overdose. Finally, with the ongoing opioid overdose crisis, the education intervention provided the staff opportunity and hope for all those 34-43 millions of Americans that continue to misuse opioids and provided harm reduction measures to mitigate OOD fatalities in the US community.