Team Approach to Prescription of Naloxone with Opioid Therapy

Abstract

Purpose: This quality improvement (QI) project utilized an educational session to increase the prescription of naloxone with opioid therapy and to introduce a team approach that encompasses the Primary Care Provider (PCP), Clinical Pharmacist, Registered Nurse (RN), and Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN). Background: Although naloxone is an opioid antagonist and can rapidly reverse opioid overdose, there continues to be hesitation among primary care providers to prescribe naloxone with opioid therapy. Potential barriers include lack of proper training, fear of offending patients, and logistical prescribing difficulties attributed to the lack of naloxone co-prescription. Method: An educational session discussing the benefits of naloxone, the myths associated with naloxone prescription, and the proposed change in workflow regarding the prescription of naloxone with opioid therapy will be presented. Results: Two weeks after the educational session, there was a 23% increase in naloxone prescriptions with opioid therapy at the Sierra Vista CBOC. Conclusions: Despite federal recommendations and organizational resources, there continued to be hesitation in prescribing naloxone with opioid therapy due to barriers and stigma related to the medication. Educating providers and healthcare professionals about the importance of naloxone have proven that using a team approach is effective in advocating naloxone with opioid therapy.