• David C Cone, Sandy Bogucki, Kevin Burns, Gail D'Onofrio, Kathryn Hawk, Daniel Joseph, and David A Fiellin.
• Department of Emergency Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT (DCC, SB, KB, GD, KH, DJ, DAF); Program in Addiction Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT (GD, KH, DAF); Yale School of Public Health, CT (GD, DAF); Department of Internal Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT (DAF).
• J Addict Med. 2020 Dec 1; 14 (6): e369-e371.

ObjectivesThe COVID-19 epidemic in the United States has hit in the midst of the opioid overdose crisis. Emergency medical services (EMS) clinicians may limit their use of intranasal naloxone due to concerns of novel coronavirus infection. We sought to determine changes in overdose events and naloxone administration practices by EMS clinicians.MethodsBetween April 29, 2020 and May 15, 2020, we surveyed directors of EMS fellowship programs across the US about how overdose events and naloxone administration practices had changed in their catchment areas since March 2020.ResultsBased on 60 respondents across all regions of the country, one fifth of surveyed communities have experienced an increase in opioid overdoses and events during which naloxone was administered, and 40% have experienced a decrease. The findings varied by region of the country. Eighteen percent of respondents have discouraged or prohibited the use of intranasal naloxone with 10% encouraging the use of intramuscular naloxone.ConclusionsThese findings may provide insight into changes in opioid overdose mortality during this time and assist in future disaster planning.

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