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 opioid crisis increases the odds that prehospital field providers will encounter NCPE
Overdose cases can create numerous logistical problems when there are multiple overdose cases around the same time in different locations
Learn how infants who were exposed to opioids present while suffering from withdrawal
The guidelines urge doctors to avoid prescribing opiates for chronic pain and to instead try physical therapy, exercise and over-the-counter medicines
A total of 60 fatal overdoses occurred in 2014 and 2015; the coroner said more people die from drug overdoses than from car crashes
Tessie Odom Smith was responding to a call when the ambulance she was in was struck head-on by a pickup truck; the driver was charged with DUI
“In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addiction” is a must-read for medics and their self-preservation
Two paramedics were injured in the collision; the ambulance was not transporting a patient at the time
An intramuscular ketamine injected into the patient’s thigh can rapidly sedate the patient
Our co-hosts discuss the pros and cons of using lights and sirens while responding to emergency calls
Our co-hosts look at a Boston nonprofit organization offering heroin users a “safe room” to ride out their high under medical supervision
The amount of emergency visits related to marijuana among Colorado tourists has increased dramatically since the drug was legalized
Here is why paramedic chiefs and EMS leaders need to have a drug-free workplace policy to restrict EMS provider marijuana use
Our rush to public shaming might reveal our own fear of occasional shocking indifference towards the people we are entrusted to treat
A nonprofit will offer heroin users a ‘safe room’ to ride out their highs; a nurse will be on site to administer medical care if needed
The announcement is part of Gov. Cuomo’s opioid overdose initiative; the state already allowed chain pharmacies to provide Narcan
Taking drugs per rectum has been going on for quite some time — meth users have been getting high by “plugging” their drug of choice for two decades
Our co-hosts look at a paramedic’s recording during a heroin overdose call that went viral earlier this month
The site would have nurses on hand and clean syringes; the idea faces significant legal and political challenges
The video showed a man unresponsive and barely breathing until paramedics revived him with Narcan
The 24-year-old had a blood alcohol level nearly twice the legal limit; the prosecutor said an EMT “should know better”
The incident has shaken officers, who have been responding to hundreds of opiate overdose calls over the past two years
The paramedic allegedly diverted narcotics and refilled the vials with saline; a criminal investigation is underway
Naloxone will be available without a prescription in Kroger’s pharmacies across Ohio and northern Kentucky
All of the deaths have occurred since Jan. 29; public officials call the heroin a death sentence
The Fast Track program facilitates the development and review of drugs
First responders were able to revive the rapper after he was found unresponsive outside a hotel
Data from the CDC show injuries including violence, car crashes and drug poisonings and overdoses are the leading cause of deaths for Americans up to the age of 44
The paramedics were not transporting a patient and were not injured in the collision
The patient was charged with reckless conduct for attacking the EMT
The doctor prescribed “crazy, outrageous amounts of medication” to patients who didn’t need the pills
Prepare for behavioral emergencies by understanding pathophysiology, personal protection, patient handling and restraint techniques, and the importance of documentation