Substance Use Disorders
This section provides EMS professionals with resources and training focused on identifying, managing and responding to patients with substance use disorders (SUDs). Articles cover recognition of drug and alcohol use in the field, treatment best practices, harm reduction strategies, and the evolving role of EMS in the opioid crisis. Learn how to address provider safety, compassion fatigue and stigma, while improving patient outcomes through evidence-based care and community partnerships.
Our co-hosts dissect Editor-in-Chief Kerri Hatt’s recent article on fentanyl exposure based on her conversation with Simon Taxel, NRP, BA, crew chief and public safety diver with the Pittsburgh Bureau of EMS
Learn more about the real consequences of fentanyl misinformation and educate public safety partners
A poll of nearly 600 EMS1 readers found that a stunning majority are in favor of providers being able to use medical marijuana if their state allows
Joshua Weller claims he was retaliated against after standing up for a female colleague, and said his superior abused prescription drugs on duty
DisposeRx turns any form of opioid into a biodegradable gel that is impossible to convert back into a consumable drug
The state’s opioid battle has prompted some lawmakers to endorse the idea of “supervised injection sites” as another way to reduce overdose deaths
Educating patients about alternate forms of pain management could stem the tide of opioid overdoses
They said the crisis is beginning to erode the nation’s workforce and undermine companies’ ability to hire
A study has found a simple way to nudge ER doctors: set the electronic medical records system to default to the recommended 10 opioid pills
The “public safety president” can use the bully pulpit to do much, much more for EMS and other public safety personnel
An NIH study found that alcohol-related visits increased 50 percent from 2006 to 2014, especially among women and middle-aged to older patients
State Sen. Leroy Garcia, D-Pueblo, who works as a paramedic for AMR of Pueblo, said the amount of times naloxone was needed last year is concerning
The three goals under the declaration include improving coordination and data collection, as well as offering better tools to potentially save lives
Officials are pushing to be the first city in the U.S. to have a supervised injection site with a controversial proposal
EMS can be a major player in clinical medicine, operational delivery and healthcare changes, decreasing morbidity and mortality
The legislation is expected to include a limit on the first fill of narcotic drugs and a good Samaritan law allowing bystanders to call 911 for help without fear of arrest
Lawmakers hope that mandating use of the state’s prescription monitoring program will reduce drug abuse in Texas
Under the program, if an individual meets certain criteria, the SOBER Unit ambulance will transport that person to the sobering center on skid row
Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the state would sue pharmaceutical companies that violate rules on prescription monitoring and reporting
Officials said drug makers and distributors contributed to a “public health crisis” where patients are turned into addicts to feed corporate greed
Scientists said they have unveiled the structure of a receptor protein as it binds to a morphine-related molecule for the first time
Neighbors described a frightening scene in which seven men and two women delirious and with “glassy eyes” were wheeled out on stretchers to nine ambulances
The amount of naloxone administered by laypersons in 2017 was 232 mg, an increase of 442 percent
Each person who took a kit was taught how to administer naloxone; the effort is being funded by a federal grant
The effort operates on the long-held perception that drug addiction often starts with prescriptions and leads to more dangerous drugs
The study showed that 50 percent of patients with chronic pain who were treated with topical analgesics discontinued their opioid medications
EMS sleep practices, the opioid epidemic, community paramedicine and patient transport mark some of the biggest issues to watch in 2018
Latest data shows the age-adjusted rate of drug overdose deaths in West Virginia was 52 per 100,000 in 2016
The distributors argue that if anyone is to blame, it’s the Drug Enforcement Administration, which oversees their regulatory requirement
Police said the officers became ill after a traffic stop that resulted in two arrests and narcotics recovered
Last year marked the first time in more than a half century that U.S. life expectancy fell two consecutive years
In 2016, 42,249 people died from opioid overdoses, compared to the 41,070 people who die from breast cancer annually
Mobile treatment units equipped with paramedics will be on standby in popular town areas with sick buckets, stretchers and defibrillators
