Intention to seek emergency medical services during community overdose events in British Columbia, Canada: a cross-sectional survey.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

Canada and the United States continue to experience increasing overdose deaths attributed to highly toxic illicit substances, driven by fentanyl and its analogues. Many bystanders report being hesitant to call 9-1-1 at an overdose due to fears around police presence and arrests. In Canada, a federal law was enacted in 2017, the Good Samaritan Drug Overdose Act (GSDOA), to provide protection from simple drug possession and related charges when 9-1-1 is called to an overdose. There is limited evidence, however, that the GSDOA has improved rates of intention to call 9-1-1 at overdose events. We therefore sought to examine intent to call 9-1-1 among persons who received GSDOA education and were at risk of witnessing an overdose.

Methods

A cross-sectional survey was

SUBMITTER: Kievit B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9315848 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature