Sage Journals: Discover world-class research

Abstract

Police officers (n = 828) in Rhode Island completed pre- and post-training surveys related to a web-based overdose response training focused on naloxone administration and post-overdose support. Responses were analyzed to assess changes in confidence and satisfaction with the training, with comparisons by officer experience, jurisdiction type, and overdose rate. Statistically significant improvements in confidence were observed across key domains including naloxone administration, monitoring, and referral to harm reduction or treatment services. Confidence was notably lower among officers with no prior naloxone administration experience and in higher-overdose jurisdictions. Satisfaction with the training was high overall, with state-level officers reporting the greatest satisfaction. These findings suggest that web-based overdose training is effective and acceptable across diverse police settings.

Keywords

naloxone overdose prevention online training police opioids

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Carroll

J. J.

Mital

Wolff

Noonan

R. K.

Martinez

Podolsky

M. C.

Killorin

J. C.

Green

T. C.

(2020). Knowledge, preparedness, and compassion fatigue among law enforcement officers who respond to opioid overdose. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 217, Article 108257. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2020.108257

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2024, December). Provisional drug overdose death counts. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss/vsrr/drug-overdose-data.html

Dahlem

C. H.

King

Marr

Holliday

(2023a). Web-based naloxone training for law enforcement officers: A pilot feasibility study. Progress in community health partnerships: Research, Education, and Action, 17(2), 255–264. https://doi.org/10.1353/cpr.2023.a900206

Dahlem

C. H.

Patil

Khadr

Ploutz-Snyder

R. J.

Boyd

C. J.

Shuman

C. J.

(2023b). Effectiveness of take ACTION online naloxone training for law enforcement officers. Health & justice, 11(1), Article 47. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40352-023-00250-9

Dahlem

C. H. G.

King

Anderson

Marr

Waddell

J. E.

Scalera

(2017). Beyond rescue: Implementation and evaluation of revised naloxone training for law enforcement officers. Public Health Nursing, 34(6), 516–521. https://doi.org/10.1111/phn.12365

Gardner

Scott

(2018). Census of state and local law enforcement agencies, 2018 – statistical tables. Bureau of Justice Statistics. https://bjs.ojp.gov/library/publications/census-state-and-local-law-enforcement-agencies-2018-statistical-tables

Kaleo, Inc . (2022). Naloxone package insert.

Khorasheh

Naraine

Watson

Kallio

Strike

. (2019). A scoping review of harm reduction training for police officers. Drug Alcohol Rev, 38(2), 131–150. https://doi.org/10.1111/dar.12904.30785229

Krawczyk

Mojtabai

Stuart

E. A.

Fingerhood

Agus

Lyons

B. C.

Weiner

J. P.

Saloner

(2020). Opioid agonist treatment and fatal overdose risk in a state-wide US population receiving opioid use disorder services. Addiction, 115(9), 1683–1694. https://doi.org/10.1111/add.14991

10.

Lloyd

Rowe

Leung

S. J.

Pourtaher

Gelberg

(2023). “It’s just another tool on my toolbelt”: New York state law enforcement officer experiences administering naloxone. Harm Reduction Journal, 20(1), Article 29. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12954-023-00715-5

11.

MacArthur

G. J.

Minozzi

Martin

Vickerman

Deren

Bruneau

Degenhardt

Hickman

(2012). Opiate substitution treatment and HIV transmission in people who inject drugs: Systematic review and meta-analysis. BMJ, 345, Article e5945. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.e5945

12.

Mann

(2024, September). National Public Radio. NPR exclusive: U.S. Overdose deaths plummet, saving thousands of lives. https://www.npr.org/2024/09/18/nx-s1-5107417/overdose-fatal-fentanyl-death-opioid

13.

McDonald

Strang

(2016). Are take-home naloxone programmes effective? Systematic review utilizing application of the bradford hill criteria. Addiction, 111(7), 1177–1187. https://doi.org/10.1111/add.13326

14.

Nath

J. M.

Scharf

Stolbach

Tang

Jenkins

J. L.

Margolis

Levy

M. J.

(2020). A longitudinal analysis of a law enforcement intranasal naloxone training program. Cureus, 12(11), Article e11312. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.11312

15.

O’Donnell

Tanz

L. J.

Gladden

R. M.

Davis

N. L.

Bitting

(2021). Trends in and characteristics of drug overdose deaths involving illicitly manufactured fentanyls — United States, 2019–2020. MMWR. Morbidity and mortality weekly report, 70(50), 1740–1746. https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm7050e3

16.

Platt

Minozzi

Reed

Vickerman

Hagan

French

Jordan

Degenhardt

Hope

Hutchinson

Maher

Palmateer

Taylor

Bruneau

Hickman

(2017). Needle syringe programmes and opioid substitution therapy for preventing hepatitis C transmission in people who inject drugs. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 9(9), CD012021. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD012021.pub2

17.

Pollini

R. A.

McCall

Mehta

S. H.

Vlahov

Strathdee

S. A.

(2006). Non-fatal overdose and subsequent drug treatment among injection drug users. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 83(2), 104–110. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2005.10.015

18.

Pourtaher

Payne

E. R.

Fera

Rowe

Leung

S. J.

Stancliff

Hammer

Vinehout

Dailey

M. W.

(2022). Naloxone administration by law enforcement officers in New York State (2015-2020). Harm Reduction Journal, 19(1), Article 102. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12954-022-00682-w

19.

Prevent Overdose Rhode Island . (2025). Overdose death data. https://preventoverdoseri.org/overdose-deaths/

20.

Rando

Broering

Olson

J. E.

Marco

Evans

S. B.

(2015). Intranasal naloxone administration by police first responders is associated with decreased opioid overdose deaths. The American Journal of Emergency Medicine, 33(9), 1201–1204. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajem.2015.05.022

21.

Ray

O’Donnell

Kahre

(2015). Police officer attitudes towards intranasal naloxone training. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 146, 107–110. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2014.10.026

22.

Rhode Island Department of Health . (2021). Defining rural Rhode Island. https://health.ri.gov/sites/g/files/xkgbur1006/files/publications/definitions/2022Rural-definition.pdf

23.

Russell

Hawk

Neale

Bennett

A. S.

Davis

Hill

L. G.

Winograd

Kestner

Lieberman

Bell

Santamour

Murray

Schneider

K. E.

Walley

A. Y.

Jones

T. S.

(2024). A call for compassionate opioid overdose response. International Journal of Drug Policy, 133, Article 104587. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugpo.2024.104587

24.

Scharf

B. M.

Sabat

D. J.

Brothers

J. M.

Margolis

A. M.

Levy

M. J.

(2021). Best practices for a novel EMS-based naloxone leave behind program. Prehospital Emergency Care, 25(3), 418–426. https://doi.org/10.1080/10903127.2020.1771490

25.

Simmons

Rajan

Goldsamt

Elliott

(2016). Implementation of online opioid overdose prevention, recognition and response trainings for professional first responders: Year 1 survey results. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 169, 1–4. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2016.10.003

26.

Stopka

T. J.

Estadt

A. T.

Leichtling

Schleicher

J. C.

Mixson

L. S.

Bresett

Romo

Dowd

Walters

S. M.

Young

A. M.

Zule

Friedmann

P. D.

V. F.

Baker

Fredericksen

R. J.

(2024). Barriers to opioid use disorder treatment among people who use drugs in the rural United States: A qualitative, multi-site study. Social Science & Medicine, 346, Article 116660. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2024.116660

27.

U.S. Food and Drug Administration (2023, March). FDA approves first over-the-counter naloxone nasal spray. https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-approves-first-over-counter-naloxone-nasal-spray

28.

White

Perrone

Malm

Watts

. (2021). Narcan cops: Officer perceptions of opioid use and willingness to carry naloxone. Journal of Criminal Justice, 7. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcrimjus.2020.101778

Police Officer Overdose Response Training

Abstract

Keywords

Get full access to this article

References