Discussion on The Drug Overdose Crisis
Discussion on The Drug Overdose Crisis
Discussion on The Drug Overdose Crisis
In 2021, more than 107,000 Americans died from drug overdoses (FDA, n.d.). Today’s drug overdose crisis is multifaceted and has evolved beyond prescription pain medications. Illicit opioids, largely driven by fentanyl and heroin, have become key contributors. Naloxone is a safe medication that is widely used by emergency medical personnel and other first responders to prevent opioid overdose deaths (NIDA, n.d.). Naloxone can quickly restore normal breathing and save the life of a person who is overdosing. Improving Naloxone access and carrying to persons who inject drugs (PWID) may reduce overdose mortality associated with the influx of fentanyl and heroin in the market (Buresh et al., 2020).
Using the PICO(T) acronym (Stillwell et al., 2010), the following clinical question was developed: Among PWID and are participants in a syringe exchange program, how effective is the distribution of free Naloxone in reducing fatal overdoses during a time span of 12 months?
Database #1 Embase, had a PICO search tool which was helpful. After several attempts in adjusting the search words, I recovered 52,000 articles, then using the quick search mode with two – three words, I recovered approximately 17 articles, and these seemed to be most relevant to my research question. Database #2 CINAHL, required a little time to get the hang of using it and after several attempts, I was able to recover 1,797 articles related to my research question. Using the Boolean operator AND restricted the results and I found this to be unsuccessful, while using OR was helpful in providing articles for me to then go review and determine if they would be applicable to my research question.
Strategies I will use to increase the rigor of the database search will be experimenting with different words, phrases and trying different Boolean operators to obtain a series of articles that I am satisfied with. Also, if time permits, I will try a different database or refine the search parameters even more. There were times where I felt frustrated during the database search, so taking a few minutes for a break, then coming back to resume my search is a helpful strategy as well!
Buresh, M., Gicquelais Id, R. E., Astemborski, J., Kirk, G. D., Mehta, S. H., & Genberg Id, B. L. (2020). Fatal overdose prevention and experience with naloxone: A cross-sectional study from a community-based cohort of people who inject drugs in
3/21/23, 4:07 PM Topic: Module 3: Discussion
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Baltimore, Maryland. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0230127
FDA’s Overdose Prevention Framework Aims to Prevent Drug Overdoses and Reduce Death | FDA. (n.d.). Retrieved March 19, 2023, from https://www.fda.gov/news-events/fda-voices/fdas-overdose-prevention-framework-aims-prevent-drug-overdoses-and- reduce-death
Naloxone for Opioid Overdose: Life-Saving Science | National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). (n.d.). Retrieved March 17, 2023, from https://nida.nih.gov/publications/naloxone-opioid-overdose-life-saving-science
Stillwell, S. B., Fineout-Overholt, E., Melnyk, B. M., & Williamson, K. M. (2010). Evidence-based practice, step by step: Asking the clinical question: A key step in Evidence-Based Practice. American Journal of Nursing, 110(3), 58–61. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.NAJ.0000368959.11129.79
