Journal of addictive diseases
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Patients with opioid use disorder are at a high risk of overdose. To minimize that risk, a program offering intranasal naloxone rescue kits was piloted at a Veterans Administration Hospital. The purpose of this study was to characterize veterans who accepted these potentially lifesaving kits. ⋯ Outpatients were nearly a decade older, with more years of opioid use (19.0 versus 11.0), but with less utilization of inpatient services in the prior year (all p < 0.05). The main finding was that 70% of veterans accepted overdose education and naloxone rescue, but significantly higher proportions of outpatients were more receptive than inpatients (89% versus 63%, p = 0.003). Efforts to increase overdose education and naloxone rescue acceptance in all settings are encouraged.