In the United States, overdose fatalities involving opioids declined from 83,140 in 2023 to 54,743 in 2024—the largest single-year decline ever recorded and the fewest total drug deaths since 2019. The decline has been attributed in part to expanded access to harm reduction technologies to mitigate addiction and overdose, including expanded access to naloxone. We analyzed data on beliefs about opioid overdose reversals with naloxone among a subset of first responders in Pennsylvania, drawing from qualitative interviews with 20 emergency medical technicians, conducted in the south-central region of the Commonwealth. Participants were asked about their perceptions of the opioid problem, the challenges experienced when administering naloxone and during the pre-hospital phase generally, and their perceptions of overdose patients. Our findings reveal stigmatizing beliefs about patients who experience overdose and highlight the need for further education on naloxone's role in mitigating opioid-involved overdose regarding three principal areas: polydrug use and drug myths, recalcitrant patients, and iatrogenic harms/system-related deficits. We conclude by discussing the implications of these findings for education efforts directed toward first responders.
Morssy et al. (Wed,) studied this question.