Grant: CIHR Fellowship

Opioid overdose is now the leading cause of accidental death in North America, causing more fatalities than motor vehicle collisions. One approach to address this epidemic is to teach laypeople to identify overdose and give first aid, including calling 911 and giving naloxone, an opioid reversal agent. From its origins in public health settings, this intervention is expanding into Canadian emergency departments, hospitals and clinics. But little is known about how well this intervention works in clinical settings. This research program will explore the role and effectiveness of this intervention. First, a feasibility study will assess brief overdose training and naloxone distribution increases rates of satisfactory bystander resuscitation performance in a high-fidelity simulated opioid overdose. We hypothesize that simple training can equip laypeople to deliver essential life-saving interventions in an opioid overdose. Second, we will complete the first Canadian analysis of out-of-hospital near deaths associated with drug toxicity. Understanding the epidemiology, patterns of care, and prognosis in drug-related OHCA are prerequisites for improving the prehospital management of these patients. Third, we will conduct a systematic review of the effects of engaging laypeople in the delivery of emergency care in vulnerable and underserviced populations. This research will lay the foundation for effective overdose prevention programs in clinical settings, and deepen our understanding of the role of laypeople in the delivery of essential emergency healthcare interventions.