Urban Expansion of the SAFE-Home Opioid Management Education (SAFE-HOME) Naloxone Awareness Initiative for Home Health Workers and Older Adults

• Main Authors: Abigail T. Elmes (Author), Brianna M. McQuade (Author), Michael Koronkowski (Author), Erin Emery-Tiburcio (Author), Jennie B. Jarrett (Author)
• Format: Book
• Published: MDPI AG, 2021-12-01T00:00:00Z.
• Subjects: article
• Online Access: Connect to this object online.
• Notes: 10.3390/pharmacy9040200; 2226-4787
• Keywords: naloxone; home health worker; older adult; opioid overdose; Pharmacy and materia medica; RS1-441
• Source: Pharmacy, Vol 9, Iss 4, p 200 (2021)

The SAFE-Home Opioid Management Education (SAFE-HOME) Naloxone Awareness pilot program utilized home health workers (HHWs) in rural settings to educate older adults prescribed opioids on naloxone access and use. This work expands the SAFE-HOME program to urban settings to prepare HHWs to educate community-dwelling older adults on opioid risks and life-saving naloxone. This prospective, interventional cohort study evaluated 60-min synchronous, virtual HHW educational training sessions describing opioid risks in older adults, opioid overdose signs and symptoms, and naloxone access and use. Knowledge assessments were conducted pre- and post-intervention via a pre-developed assessment tool in a repeated measure model. Outcomes included change in total opioid and naloxone knowledge, and baseline total and individual opioid and naloxone knowledge. Six educational sessions were held (<i>n</i> = 154). The average pre- and post-education scores were 62.7% (<i>n</i> = 108) and 83.5% (<i>n</i> = 82), respectively (<i>p</i> < 0.001). Of the 69 participants who completed both pre- and post-education assessments, the average change in total score was +19.6% (<i>p</i> < 0.001), opioid knowledge score −0.4% (<i>p</i> = 0.901), and naloxone knowledge score +32.9% (<i>p</i> < 0.001). At baseline, HHWs were knowledgeable on opioid risks, but lacked familiarity with naloxone access and use. Targeting HHWs with opioid and naloxone training positions them to effectively educate at-risk community-dwelling older adults.