naltrexone, buprenorphine or methadone within half a year of their initial overdose.
Donohue explained that there is a need for “increased capacity so people treated for overdose in hospitals can begin addiction treatment while in the hospital, reduce the stigma associated with treatment and educate providers on how to engage patients with treatment.”
“On the pain medication side, if privacy laws permit, a patient’s history of overdose can inform opioid prescribing decisions,” she said. “Emergency department-initiated naloxone education and distribution to the patient and their friends or family can also help prevent potential future overdose deaths.”
