Disparities in the accuracy of reporting opioid overdoses to 9-1-1 by race and sex of overdose victim, Marion County, Indiana, 2011-2020.
Health Justice
; 12(1): 25, 2024 May 31.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38819492
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES:
To assess the prevalence of emergency medical incidents wherein naloxone was administered but overdose was not described as the chief complaint during the 9-1-1 call, including differences by overdose victim race/ethnicity and sex.METHODS:
We computed the percentage of 9-1-1 calls in Marion County, Indiana, from 2011 to 2020, wherein naloxone was administered but the caller did not describe overdose as the chief complaint. We estimated a logistic regression to examine the associations between reporting of overdose as the chief complaint and race and sex of the overdose victim.RESULTS:
Almost one-fifth of 9-1-1 calls preceding naloxone administration did not describe overdose as the chief complaint. 9-1-1 callers were more likely to describe a non-overdose as the chief complaint when the overdose victim was Black or female.CONCLUSION:
9-1-1 callers are less likely to use terminology describing overdose when the overdose victim is female or Black, than when the victim is male or White. Inaccurate terminology when calling 9-1-1 could delay naloxone administration, thereby increasing risk of overdose death and hypoxic brain injury. Some 9-1-1 callers may be avoiding overdose terminology to prevent a police response, or due to lack of knowledge about overdose identification, but further research is needed to determine the mechanisms underlying these findings.
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Language:
En
Journal:
Health Justice
Year:
2024
Document type:
Article
Affiliation country:
United States