BACKGROUND:
Fatal
opioid overdose is a significant public health concern in the United States.
One approach to reducing fatalities is expanding overdose response education to
broader audiences. This study examined responses to a web-based overdose
education tool.
METHODS:
The
results of 422 anonymous surveys submitted on www.stopoverdose.org were
analyzed for participant demographics, knowledge of opioid overdose recognition
and response, and knowledge of Washington's Good Samaritan overdose law.
Characteristics, knowledge, and planned behavior of respondents with
professional versus personal interest in overdose education were compared.
RESULTS:
Most
respondents were age 35 or older (57%) and female (65%). The mean score on the
knowledge quiz for overdose recognition and response items was 16.2 out of 18,
and 1.5 out of 2 possible points for items concerning the law. Respondents
indicating professional interest were significantly more likely to be 35 or
older (p = .001) and to have received prior overdose education (p < .001),
but less likely to know someone at risk for opioid overdose (p < .001) or
report planning to obtain take-home naloxone (p < .001). No significant differences
were found in overdose knowledge scores between groups.
CONCLUSIONS:
Online
training may be effective among individuals with professional and personal
interest in overdose, as general knowledge scores of overdose response were
high among both groups. Lower scores reflecting knowledge of the law suggest
that the web-based training may not have adequately presented this information.
Overall, results suggest that a web-based platform may be a promising approach
to basic overdose education.
1 Social Development Research Group , University of
Washington , Seattle , Washington , USA.
2 Alcohol and Drug Abuse Institute , University of
Washington , Seattle , Washington , USA.
DOI:
10.3109/10826084.2015.1092986
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