Emergency Naloxone Programs - Provider Information

Three basic components are required in any emergency department naloxone program. For the purposes of this discussion, this will be portrayed in the broadest terms so that it has the most application across the country. The end goals are naloxone in the patient/loved one’s hands and linkage to treatment.

1. Prescriptions
   1. Physicians should provide patients who are identified at risk for opioid overdose with a prescription for naloxone. They should be familiar with the types and restrictions for their patients.
      1. 3 types
         1. IM (Evzio)
         2. Original Nasal
         3. New Nasal
      2. In some states, naloxone is currently available without a prescription, but this is still a new phenomenon without solid processes in place throughout. Therefore, the physician should still see it as their responsibility to provide a prescription when the patient is identified to be at risk.

2. Discharge instructions
   1. Dotphrases are commonly used throughout all EMRs as a source of readily replicated but also modifiable information

3. Instructions/Educational materials
   1. Naloxone educational materials and instructions for use will remain the same for some time to come, allowing for a pdf attachment to be utilized in a pre-developed format. Information that requires frequent reformatting should be included in the discharge dotphrase instructions.

A skeleton dotphrase is provided on the next page.

Information about development of ED naloxone programs