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.
Board certified emergency medicine physician Bryan Bledsoe says EMS providers rarely need to administer naloxone
Rotating pharmaceutical stock, and exploring alternative pain management and expired drug options can mitigate EMS drug shortages
Consider a variety of funding sources and make your case for why you need it, how you plan to use it and who will benefit
Newest opioids are laced with carfentanil, a tranquilizer used for sedating large animals
Administered in recent years by first responders, it’s credited with saving thousands of lives in a region that continues to grapple with an opioid epidemic
An ambulance was called to the scene, where the man was transported to the ICU
The program provides users resources to seek treatment and follow-up visits by first responders
Our co-hosts review the recent charges brought against two paramedics for taking unauthorized photos and the 1000 percent price jump in Narcan
EMS leaders at Pinnacle conference learn how CAD and ePCR data, not naloxone, might be EMS’s greatest contribution to resolving opioid overdose epidemic
A 1 percent price increase in alcohol prices corresponded with approximately 6,000 fewer violence-related emergency room visits
The demand for the life-saving drug naloxone has risen, and companies have raised their prices
EMS leaders at Pinnacle conference learn an innovative and collaborative approach between law enforcement and EMS to the opioid overdose epidemic
Sen. Charles Schumer pushes ban on 19 types of “spice” and three derivatives of fentanyl
The wife of a Florida paramedic reported the theft and believed the medications were intended to poison her
Fatal overdoses from the last six months already exceeded the count for 2015
The 50-year-old Mass. man received 4 doses from firefighters, 3 from paramedics
Good samaritans discover couple who had overdosed at the wheel and called for EMS
The ambulance service features new banners and a social media campaign in response to the state’s opioid epidemic
Public health officials are increasingly looking at naloxone as an antidote to the state’s increasing overdose death rate
After a Mich. woman was T-boned by a semi, EMS crews were hit while protecting the scene
Akron police suspect fentanyl-laced heroin as the cause of 17 overdoses in one day
The cap is being raised from 100 patients per doctor to 275
An alleged drunk driver drove through a crash scene, leaving the medic with 12 stitches, a broken toe and shattered teeth
First responders have long used the antidote naloxone to revive people who’ve stopped breathing because of an opioid overdose
Two Acadian Ambulance EMTs and two bystanders were struck while tending to an accident victim
Houston Fire Dept. transported users who were in altered state because of the illegal, synthetic drug and mid-afternoon heat
All participating pharmacies may dispense the drug to anyone eligible, such as someone who indicates an ability to help prevent an overdose
The LAFD SOBER unit for Skid Row’s frequent users is a good idea, but potential dangers to paramedics cannot be ignored
Focus on assessing and treating the patient’s basic life threats before interrogating bystanders or investigating the scene
Police said the man will be charged with driving under the influence, recklessly endangering another person and disorderly conduct
Drug overdoses, accidental poisonings are up 78 percent over a decade and now exceed vehicle crashes as the top accidental killer in the U.S.
