Non-fatal overdose among opiate users in Wales: A national survey

Katy Rose Holloway*, Trevor Hugh Bennett, Rhian Hills

*Corresponding author for this work

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    Abstract

    Aims: To obtain a national prevalence estimate of non-fatal overdose among opiate users and describe the characteristics of non-fatal overdose events in Wales. 

    Design: Cross-sectional. 

    Setting: Twenty-nine Needle and Syringe Programmes (NSPs) operated by drug treatment agencies across Wales. 

    Participants: Six-hundred sixty-one opiate users who attended NSPs during February and March 2013. 

    Measurements: Consecutive opiate users were asked to complete a structured questionnaire about their history of overdose and the circumstances of their most recent overdose. 

    Findings: Almost half (47%) of the respondents reported having overdosed at least once in their lives and 15% had done so in the last year. On average, respondents who reported overdosing in the last year had done so twice. The majority of overdoses was accidental (95%) and followed the injection of opiates (96%). Life-saving actions were not uncommon and included calling for an ambulance (66%), administration of naloxone (40%), and use of CPR (27%). Non-paramedic bystanders were often involved in taking potentially life-saving actions to help victims of opiate overdose. 

    Conclusions: The research has generated previously unknown findings on the prevalence and nature of non-fatal overdose among opiate users in Wales. These results can be used to monitor the effectiveness of harm reduction interventions.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)471-477
    Number of pages7
    JournalJournal of Substance Use
    Volume21
    Issue number5
    Early online date21 Jan 2016
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - Oct 2016

    Keywords

    • Opiates
    • overdose
    • Wales
    • INJECTING DRUG-USERS
    • TAKE-HOME NALOXONE
    • HEROIN OVERDOSE
    • CIRCUMSTANCES
    • FREQUENCY
    • KNOWLEDGE
    • ATTITUDES

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