New online training: how to save a life with naloxone

Healthcare workers and all British Columbians now have access to a simple online training app to teach and learn how to use naloxone – www.NaloxoneTraining.com. The project was spearheaded by a team from St. Paul Hospital’s (SPH) Emergency Department (ED), one of 614 sites across the province that distributes Take Home Naloxone kits.

“Naloxone is a key tool in our provincewide fight to save lives for those at risk of overdose,” said Judy Darcy, Mental Health and Addictions Minister. “I commend the emergency department team at St. Paul Hospital and their partners for their innovative work on this lifesaving tool that will make it easier for people to learn how to use Naloxone, and encourage people to have a kit on-hand so they can act quickly and confidently to save the life of friend, family or loved who has overdosed.”

 “When we started handing out naloxone kits in the St. Paul’s Hospital Emergency Department, we realized it was challenging to deliver consistent, high-quality training in a busy environment,” explains emergency physician Dr. Andrew Kestler. “We wanted training that could be accessed from an iPad in the hospital so it was easy for healthcare workers to deliver, even without a lot of previous experience with the kits.” The other goal was to develop training that would be accessible at home for people who use opioids and their families.

In addition to providing training at the hospital site, people at home can also use the web app and get a certificate of completion that can be redeemed for a naloxone kit at a distribution site (locations listed here: http://towardtheheart.com/site-finder). Now anyone can learn how to administer naloxone or give themselves a refresher course, at their own convenience.

See how the app works: https://vimeo.com/245833038/cd8699ad74 

Other courses

You can also take this 15-20 minute VCH online course Quick Learn Lesson: Naloxone Administration 

and/or Distributing Naloxone Kits to Clients.