A study recently published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) examined the projected rate of opioid overdoses over 10 years and the effects of interventions such as prescribing reductions, naloxone distribution, and treatment expansion. Researchers determined that, under the status quo, an estimated 484,429 individuals were projected to die of an opioid overdose over the next 10 years. However, with prescribing reductions there was a projected decrease in deaths by 0.3%, a reduction of 15.4% for increased naloxone distribution, and a decrease of deaths by 25.3% with treatment expansion.
- Ann Tucker