A scoping review of community-based post-opioid overdose intervention programs: implications of program structure and...

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Substance Use Disorders
• Healthcare Interventions

Background:

• The opioid epidemic necessitates innovative interventions.
• Multidisciplinary outreach teams are emerging to connect overdose survivors with healthcare.
• Understanding the process and outcomes of these novel public health and law enforcement partnerships is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the program structure of community-based post-overdose interventions.
• To evaluate the outcomes of these interventions.
• To inform future intervention development.

Main Methods:

• A systematic literature search was conducted using PubMed, PsycInfo, and Web of Science.
• Five peer-reviewed articles published between 2001 and July 2021 detailing US-based interventions were included.
• Interventions primarily utilized multidisciplinary outreach teams and first responder data.

Main Results:

• Most interventions employed multidisciplinary teams contacting individuals post-overdose at home.
• Services commonly included substance use treatment referrals and recovery support.
• Facilitators of engagement included effective communication, information sharing, and partner buy-in.

Conclusions:

• Community-based post-overdose interventions with law enforcement partnerships are emergent.
• Current empirical literature is limited but shows promising results.
• Future research should explore interventions in rural areas, for families, and for minoritized populations.