Category: Federal Forum Posters
Purpose: Veterans have high rates of pain and mental health disorders, such as post-traumatic stress disorder, as well as concomitant benzodiazepine and opioid use, placing them at particularly high risk of opioid overdose. In an effort to reduce this risk, the Department of Veterans Affairs initiated the Opioid Overdose Education and Naloxone Distribution (OEND) program. This quality improvement project was designed to implement the OEND program and reduce opioid overdose by providing naloxone distribution and education to at risk patients of the national priority providers at the Gulf Coast Veterans Health Care System that have never been prescribed naloxone.
Methods: This project will include pharmacy resident and Patient Aligned Care Team (PACT) pharmacists’ involvement. A list of 656 patients of 14 national priority providers was obtained from the OEND dashboard for the second quarter of 2018. National priority providers are in the top 25% in number of at risk patients without naloxone. Patient charts will be reviewed to determine if a Veteran is a true candidate for naloxone. If naloxone is needed and once the provider’s agreement is obtained, pharmacists will contact patients, provide naloxone education by phone, and subsequently dispense naloxone. Additionally, anecdotal evidence suggests that some patients are inappropriately flagged for opioid use and/or opioid dependence diagnosis, even though they are no longer prescribed opioids and have no evidence of abuse, aberrant behavior, or illicit drug use. If it is determined through chart review that a patient is inappropriately flagged, pharmacists will order the diagnosis removal under the provider’s name for review and signature if in agreement. At the conclusion of this project, the number of OEND candidates based on chart reviews, the number of patients contacted and offered OEND, the number of patients that were dispensed naloxone, and the number of inappropriate diagnoses removed will be measured.
Results: Not applicable
Conclusion: Not applicable
Athena Vu
– Pharmacy Resident, Gulf Coast Veterans Health Care System, Biloxi, MS132 Views