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.
Lisa Cassidy took action after noticing the amount of opioid overdose calls crews with St. Charles County Ambulance District were running
"… not my addiction” humanizes opioid addiction and affirms the paramedic reviewer’s belief in the importance of compassionate treatment
Event at EMS World covered steps to avoid accidental fentanyl exposure during scene size-up, patient care and investigation
Medication is rendered inert and unable to contaminate water supplies
The push is part of an effort to equip as many responders with the drug as possible
The bag is designed to securely store equipment used when reversing an opioid overdose
Officers found the women in possession of medical supplies from the ambulance along with drug paraphernalia
Opposed to injecting the overdose preventing drug, the spray is reportedly less expensive and easier to administer
In cases where narcotics are tampered with, our hosts remind us that medical directors put their DEA license on the line
All police departments on Cape Cod will be able to carry the opiate overdose reversal drug after months of plowing through red tape
The Fla. veterinarian injected the left-over dog medication through an IV after the two had been drinking at a party
The driver was charged with a DUI after veering straight into the path of an oncoming ambulance and SUV
A former EMS captain is teaching members of the Brooklyn neighborhood ‘how to save a life instead of taking a life’
He has also has been given an experimental drug that doctors refuse to identify, and has responded well to aggressive treatments
Hosts Chris Cebollero and Kelly Grayson talk about the need for more research around response times, and how to best treat anaphylaxis patients
No drugs were missing and the fire chief says a new bar-code tracking system is in place
The other car caught fire after slamming into the back of the ambulance around 1:30 a.m.
Two highschoolers who were rushed to the hospital unconscious have been released
The annual gathering of medical directors also explored ways to cardiac arrestsurvival rates and touched on community paramedicine
Rampart is the cornerstone of a sophisticated emergency medical system with cutting-edge goals that mirror some of the leading ideas in healthcare reform, community paramedicine and mobile integrated healthcare
Pain is one of the primary reasons people call 911; there’s a growing concern in EMS that providers aren’t doing enough to assess, treat and relieve pain
More training is needed because prehospital providers may be unfamiliar with new medications and techniques to manage pain, and may be reluctant to give pain medications for fear of adverse effects
Baltimore responders team up with Johns Hopkins to train medics to better engage with substance abuse callers in an attempt to slow down the 911 merry-go-round
Responders administered Narcan to a 24-year-old blue-lipped, unresponsive woman en route to an Ohio hospital
He was arrested on a charge of public intoxication, but family members say he shoud have gone to the hospital instead of jail
The machines alert medics when the stock of a drug or piece of equipment is low or near expiration; it’s led to thousands of dollars in savings from less being throw out at the end of the month
He was arrested after a colleague discovered a syringe, a partially used vial of hydromorphone and a tourniquet in his shower bag
Three EMS providers and a 27-year-old who was arrested were all injured in the crash
EMTs found him unresponsive and blue with a used needle, a metal spoon, a pair of sunglasses, a green tourniquet, a lighter and three small bags
Responders uncovered a “shake and bake” meth lab operation after searching the home of a man found lying on the floor
He became response inside the ambulance, got up, and began to yell and spit during a struggle
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