A Universal Primary Care Based Intervention to Reduce Youth Overdose Risk Aim 3

Summary

Between 2015 and 2019, overdose deaths translated to 1.25 million years of life lost among adolescents and young adults (youth) aged 12 to 24 years, and the percent change in fatal overdose rates among adolescents ages 14 to 18 was higher than adults between 2019 and 2020.3-5 Primary care providers are uniquely positioned to provide evidence-based information to youth to both improve awareness of overdose risk (individual benefit) and simultaneously ensure that youth are prepared to recognize and respond to an overdose (public health benefit). However, currently there is no evidence-based intervention for pediatric primary care to reduce youth overdose risk and ensure youth can recognize and respond to an overdose. To address the gap in evidence-based overdose prevention interventions for youth, we propose a randomized controlled trial (RCT) to evaluate the efficacy of a brief universal overdose prevention intervention in pediatric primary care. We will enroll 24 providers and 624 youth patient participants randomized (at the provider level) to receive either the brief overdose prevention intervention or usual care.

Eligibility

Age range

13+ years

Sex

All

Healthy volunteers

No

Interventions

• Behavioral
  Brief youth overdose prevention education

  Providers in the intervention group will inform youth participants about: the risk factors for overdose, how to stay safe and prevent overdose, how to recognize an overdose, and how to respond to an overdose. Providers in the intervention group will also inform youth participants how to use naloxone and facilitate access if youth would like to have it.

• Other
  Usual Standard of Care

  Youth participants will be provided usual care by providers in the control group. As part of usual care, providers may facilitate access to naloxone for youth control participants if they would like to have it.

Location