Evaluating the Impact of a Tribal Naloxone Program Through Pre and Post Surveys from First Responders.

Abstract

The Choctaw Nation Health Care Center established a first responder naloxone program in 2015. Limited data is available on community naloxone programs specific to tribal communities and the opinions of first responders who may utilize naloxone in the field. The purpose of this article is to highlight the model of a tribal first responder naloxone program in Talihina, Oklahoma and present analysis of the impact of program trainings on first responders' understanding and willingness to administer intranasal naloxone through pre- and post-surveys (n = 758) collected from May 2018 to November 2019. Descriptive analyses were conducted to compare first responders' rating of their support, willingness, and confidence in using naloxone. Overall, 95.1% of first responders reported learning something new from the training. However, the most significant changes in pre- to post-test results were among first responders that had never been at the scene of an overdose. Almost 77% of trainees who reported they never were at a scene of an overdose and responded "not very willing" in administering naloxone at pre-test, responded that they were "very willing" to administer naloxone at post-test.