Pub. 2 2018 Issue 1

CO-PRESCRIBING NALOXONE FOR OPIOID RESCUE IN A PRIMARY CARE SETTING Background: Deaths due to opioid overdose are prevalent and increasing; half of all opioid prescriptions are given by primary care providers. Naloxone is an opioid antidote that has been shown effective to help in preventing such over- dose deaths. This study evaluated the effectiveness of a program encouraging primary care providers to co-prescribe naloxone to patients with opioids. Methods: A total of 707 patients with an opioid on their medication list and who had been seen in the last year were included. Of these 707 patients, 420 were women (59%), 619 were white (88%), and mean age was 53.8 years old (SD=15.7). Following a baseline survey, staff were instructed on naloxone prescribing. A removable pop-up reminder to con- sider naloxone was added to the charts of all patients. Letters were sent to se- lected patients at high risk for overdose (HRO) to encourage them to accept a naloxone prescription. The number of naloxone prescriptions was tracked for 6 months. A final survey was distributed to all providers. Results: Of the 707 patients with opioid prescriptions, 368 were considered HRO (52%). Rates of prescriptions of naloxone increased from 9 (1.3% of all patients with opioids) at baseline to 90 patients (13%) following the interventions. Perceived barriers to prescribing nalox- one included 1) that it did not occur to the provider to bring it up (n=13, 65% who reported agree or strongly agree), 2) not enough time in the office visit (n=12, 60%), and 3) lack of knowledge about pre- scribing naloxone (n=10, 50%). Conclusions: This straightforward inter- vention of education, an electronic pop- up reminder, and letter to selected pa- tients with HROwas effective in increasing rates of prescription of naloxone. Primary care providers are in an ideal setting to offer this vital antidote to their patients with opioid prescriptions.  WTA Gets You Back to Business In today’s business climate, nothing is as important for a physician running a practice than being able to focus on core functions – like practicing medicine and taking care of patients. Outsourcing HR management relieves busy physicians of the burden of managing employees, and allows them to redirect their resources towards more important aspects of their practice. WTA, inc. is a professional employer organization offering a wide range of HR related services to small businesses, both new and established. Call our offices and schedule a FREE CONSULTATION| 801.262.9032 By Sean Peterson, MD, and Richard Allen, MD www.UtahAFP.org | 30