Naloxone Effectiveness: A Systematic Review

Opioid abuse and overdose is a public health concern as it relates to increased morbidity and mortality. This systematic review focuses on the application of take-home naloxone programs and its association with decreased mortality among those who abuse opioids. Take-home naloxone programs consist of distributed naloxone kits and corresponding education of overdose recognition. The purpose of this systematic review was to determine if programs that supply take-home naloxone are effective in preventing fatal overdoses among those who abuse opioids.

A systematic search was conducted in Academic Search Complete, CINHAL, MEDLINE, PsychINFO, and SocINDEX. The key words searched were "programs," "take-home kits," "Narcan," "Naloxone," and "mortality." On the basis of the predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria, nine studies were found for inclusion.

Study results were then synthesized, qualitatively, and within the current research, there is overwhelming support of take-home naloxone programs being effective in preventing fatal opioid overdoses. A significant limitation of this systematic review is the lack of randomized controlled trials as it is viewed as unethical withholding a known lifesaving medication from an at-risk population.

On the basis of the most current evidence, there is overwhelming support of take-home naloxone programs associated with decreased mortality among those who abuse opioids. As a result, there is an implication for a practice change that take-home naloxone programs should be more widely implemented throughout communities as a method of decreasing mortality associated with opioid overdoses. It is recommended that further research is done examining the cost-effectiveness of these programs.