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.
The compassionate treatment opioid users receive from first responders can lead to education and healing
The falsehood of naloxone-induced aggression and assault
By leveraging naloxone and buprenorphine, along with behavioral therapies, medication-assisted treatment attacks opioid addiction from all sides
Four EMS providers were inside the ambulance at the time of the crash
Randy Lee Davidson was arrested for allegedly stealing doses of fentanyl and morphine and attempting to cover up the activity
Gino Ascani said he ran toward Neilson Rizzuto’s vehicle after he plowed into a crowd of 32 people
Reported incidents of drug losses or theft at federal hospitals jumped from 272 in 2009 to 2,926 in 2015
Given the increasing number of opioid-related deaths reported in the past months, an official said she was surprised more kits haven’t been distributed
Twenty-one people were hospitalized after the crash with five victims taken to the trauma center in guarded condition
Under the proposal, people experiencing overdose symptoms could get drugs administered faster
Community paramedics have an opportunity to change EMS response to overdose and addiction through application of harm reduction techniques
A state senator whose daughter died of a heroin overdose in a Burger King parking lot spearheaded a law that grants immunity to 911 callers
Although heroin killed fewer people in 2016, those deaths only decreased as more lives were lost to fentanyl
The program offers ways for health care professionals to intervene early before substance use leads to more serious problems
China is considering other substances for sanction, including U-47700, an alternative to banned fentanyls
Authorities said 21 emergency calls for alcohol-related illness were made over four days
Responders are starting to see calls from the same individuals multiple times for both overdoses and other health issues
In 2016, the state’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation tested 2,396 cases of fentanyl, up from 1,110 in 2015 and 34 in 2010
The video includes audio of a 911 call from a woman who finds her son unconscious and overdosing on heroin
Legislation would require medical professionals to discuss the possibility of addiction when prescribing opioid drugs to those under 18
Existing law allows them to stock epinephrine to treat severe allergic reactions
Dispatchers described the girl as “hysterical” when she called 911 and said her father had been drinking during the entire trip to their grandparents’ house
A drunken driver whose blood-alcohol content was five times the legal limit lost control of his vehicle and plowed into the crowd
Critics said the state’s legislative package nibbles around the edges of the problem, threatens personal liberties and doesn’t invest enough in prevention
In one crash, officers found two people passed out in the front seat of the wrecked vehicle and two children uninjured in the back seat
Most chronic illnesses, including opioid dependence, are managed through treatment and not cured
The legislation includes a proposal that would allow patients to refuse opioids through a directive that’s included in their medical files
A flight physician and former EMT share their personal stories of addiction, treatment and recovery at Wisconsin EMS conference
Opioid administration routes, production methods and commonly used opioids were described to professionals at Wisconsin EMS conference
Alternative pain management therapies are included that clinicians can utilize in place of opioids
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