Survey finds 77% of Americans feel unable to help in the event of an overdose

COLUMBUS, Ohio — More than 75% of Americans said they would not be able to help someone suffering from an overdose, according to a survey from The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and College of Medicine.

Dr. Trent Hall, an addiction medicine physician in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, said in a Wexner press release that 77% of respondents admitted that they’d be unable to respond to the situation.

“And while, I’m not surprised about this result, I am deeply concerned because we know that the more of us who are prepared to save a life, the more lives we can save,” Hall said in the release.

The release cites data from the National Center for Health Statistics, which states that 293 people die every day in the U.S. as a result of an overdose, the country’s leading cause of accidental death.

They highlight the two FDA approved nasal spray medications that can counteract an overdose of opioids: naloxone and nalmefene.

“Some people tell me that they’re nervous or uncomfortable with the idea of using naloxone to save a life,” Hall said in the release. “But there’s nothing more terrifying than being in the moment, seeing someone who’s having an overdose, and being powerless to help. Carrying naloxone empowers you to save a life in your community.”

For years, the opioid fentanyl has been a concern.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states synthetic opioids like fentanyl contribute to around 70% of the deaths as a result of overdoses. The agency says the 2022 overdose death rate from these synthetic opioids is 25 times that of 2010.

The Wexner release states that fentanyl can be mixed with other things or even made to look like other pills.

“We know that we’re losing more than 100,000 lives in the United States every year due to drug overdose,” Hall said in the release. “Naloxone has saved countless lives across this country. We’ll really never know how many lives have been saved because so many overdoses go unreported.”

Hall continued to say that their research shows opioid use disorder patients who come there for treatment—on average—have survived five accidental overdoses prior to their visit.

“Imagine someone showing up for treatment who’d had five heart attacks before, or five strokes,” Hall said in the release. “This is every bit as dangerous, and naloxone is something that we can all use to save a life.”

According to the release, naloxone should be given if you find the individual is “unconscious, not breathing and unable to respond when gently shaken.” They say naloxone does no harm if given to someone unconscious who had not actually overdosed.

Here’s their advice on how to administer the medicine:

• “Check the person who might be having an overdose
• Shout their name and shake their shoulder
• If they are not breathing, open up naloxone nasal spray and spray into their nostrils
• Call 911 to make sure they get attention from emergency medical services
• Another does of naloxone may be needed if they don’t respond to the first dose after 2-3 minutes
• Stay with them until emergency help arrives
• Watch this video to learn how to administer naloxone”

“The availability to purchase naloxone without a prescription is helping to put this life-saving medication in the right hands at the right moments. Increasing awareness and training opportunities gives more people the confidence to step in and save a life,” Hall said in the release.

Project DAWN is a “network of opioid overdose education and naloxone distribution programs” through the state’s Department of Health that has 420 distribution sites across most of the state.