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.
EMS leaders must be conscious and intentional in applying labeling lenses to patients and providers
What first responders need to know about asking for help, getting into treatment, and returning to work
There is no relationship that has more impact on your mental health than your relationship with your significant other
David Reitz, 28, drove erratically until the 11-year-old child asked him to pull over
The report’s findings help identify when and where highly potent opioids are introduced into a community
An officer had to be revived with four doses of Narcan after he accidentally came into contact with fentanyl
EMS providers administered naloxone 136 times in 2016; the state of Illinois mandates that all responders carry naloxone
There were more prescriptions filled for opioids in the state in 2015 than there were residents
The CDC estimates that the number of infections in 2015 was 34,000, or twice as many as the estimate for 2010
A study published on pediatric opioid administration before and after a protocol change reveals little change in pain assessment or management
Unused prescription drugs in homes can be accidentally ingested, stolen, misused and abused
In 2015, more than 700 people died in Florida as a result of fentanyl
The state ranks in the top 10 in the country for drug overdose deaths, with six state residents dying each week from opioid overdoses
The fire chief said the responders felt light-headed and hot; they have all returned to work
The paramedic yelled, “Gun!” and one of the firefighters pinned the man’s arm down as the other firefighter tried to get the patient to release the gun
It’s the second time within a month that firefighter-EMT Samantha Jean Lopez has been charged with DUI
The nation’s opioid crisis is forcing hospitals to begin rolling out non-addictive alternatives to treatments that have long been the mainstay for the severe pain of trauma and surgery
The rate of prescription opioids dispensed in Utah grew 30 percent from 2002 to 2015
An unconscious patient, with absent or ineffective breathing, may be in sudden cardiac arrest or have overdosed on an opioid; here’s how to assess and treat the patient
The tranquilizer can be absorbed through the skin or inhaled and just a small amount can be lethal
What each form of fentanyl means for the user and first responder
Police Chief Mike McNeely says it’s among the most bizarre things he’s heard in four decades of policing
The measure would provide immunity from civil liability to health care professionals who distribute medicine for life-threatening asthma attacks or allergic reactions
Only half of U.S. treatment centers accept teenagers and even fewer offer teen-focused groups or programs
The driver slammed into the passenger side of the rig; none of the responders working 10 feet away were hurt
At the facilities, medical personnel can intervene in the event of an overdose
Overdoses now rank with cancer, strokes and heart attacks among the top killers in the state
The 4-year-old boy would be the seventh child under 5 to die after swallowing opioids in Milwaukee County in the last 19 months
Data is helping the city of Cincinnati and the state of Ohio to find geographic hotspots for overdose and predict opioid risk patterns
An EMS executive director said their job is to save lives, not to decide if someone is worth resuscitating based on their likelihood of relapse
Bruce Lamar Griggs was “in this just for the money” when he sold the heroin mixture that sickened 28 people
The largest proportion of overdose deaths in the state involves fentanyl
The male patient vomited while EMTs were working on him; the firefighters “got it in their eyes and mouth”
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