Knowledge, preparedness, and compassion fatigue among law enforcement officers who respond to opioid overdose.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Rates of fatal overdose (OD) from synthetic opioids rose nearly 60 % from 2016 to 2018. 911 Good Samaritan Laws (GSLs) are an evidenced-based strategy for preventing OD fatality. This study describes patrol officers' knowledge of their state's GSL, experience with OD response, and their perspectives on strategies to prevent and respond to opioid OD.

Methods

An electronic survey assessed officers' knowledge of state GSLs and experiences responding to OD. Descriptive statistics and hierarchical linear modeling were generated to examine differences in knowledge, preparedness, and endorsement of OD response efforts by experience with OD response.

Results

2,829 officers responded to the survey. Among those who had responded to an OD call in the past six months (

SUBMITTER: Carroll JJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7475730 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature