Originally posted by norah smith on September 14, 2019
According to the Public Health Agency of Canada, between 2016 and 2018 the opioid crisis was responsible for the deaths of over 11 500 Canadians. Ontario and British Columbia see the highest number of deaths, but consistently across Canada, the majority of these deaths were accidental.
In my school, there have been several student deaths as a result of an accidental opioid overdose that took place off school property and some close calls on campus that required immediate medical intervention. While campus security are best equipped to respond, it takes time to reach the person in need and seconds do count. Some faculty and staff have taken it upon themselves to pick up a free naloxone kit widely available in Toronto to respond in a timely manner.
Take Home Naloxone is a simple training app developed by medical professionals in Vancouver to teach people when and how to properly administer naloxone in a consistent way. Consistency is key. Especially if one were to try and receive this training during peak times at a hospital. The idea is that anyone can gain access on their phone from wherever they are, complete the training and show a screenshot of their certificate to pick up a naloxone kit at a distribution centre.
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The user watches a short video and then moves through several units meant to educate on signs of overdose, how to store naloxone, etc. Simple questions to test knowledge are asked before moving on to the next unit. I found this to be an empowering training tool that can help instil confidence and be used as a handy knowledge refresher with very little time commitment needed.
comment originally posted by @ttrembl on Sep 27, 2019
Great public health initiative and an excellent educational app to help anyone from health care practitioners to family members save lives. The app provides excellent step-by-step instructions that are easy to use, descriptive, and how to apply and use the kit on an overdose victim. I particularly like the app as it addresses a current health epidemic that many of us have faced in either our personal or professional world. In addition, the app was developed by health care professionals and that lends to the credibility and validity of the information contained within the app. Overall, an excellent app and tool for anyone to use.