Optimizing placement of public-access naloxone kits using geospatial analytics: a modelling study.

ABSTRACT:

Background

More than 85 000 people die annually across North America from opioid poisoning; naloxone in the hands of the public is an effective intervention and saves lives. We compared the accessibility of different placement strategies for public-access naloxone kits.

Methods

We evaluated all opioid-poisoning incidents recorded by BC Emergency Health Services between December 2014 and August 2020 in Metro Vancouver, Canada. We determined the number of opioid poisonings "covered" (i.e., within a 3-minute walk) by 3 different coverage strategies: (1) existing locations participating in take-home naloxone programs; (2) blanket naloxone kit placement at chain businesses, pharmacies, and registered public-defibrillator locations; and (3) optimization-based strategic kit placeme

SUBMITTER: Leung KHB 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11913478 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature