Quaternary Prevention: Four States’ Approaches to Naloxone Dissemination

Naloxone has received increased public health attention in recent years given its effectiveness in the reversal of opioid overdoses. Despite continued increases in overdose death rates attributable to opioids, approaches to naloxone dissemination, prescribing and dispensing are quite variable across states. On the public health prevention continuum, naloxone dissemination and use could be considered quaternary prevention —actions taken to identify individuals at risk of over-medication, protect them from new medical invasion and suggest interventions which are ethically acceptable.

This presentation will describe approaches to overdose death prevention with naloxone in four states: Maine, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia. Particular emphasis will be placed on the role of community pharmacies in increasing naloxone dissemination. Attendees will be informed about recent legislative, educational and profession-specific prevention strategies and will thereafter engage in active learning to apply prevention strategies in their respective states. In addition to discussing barriers to and suggestions for increased naloxone uptake, presenters will describe assessments that can be used to evaluate overdose risk and subsequent naloxone co-prescribing/dispensing.