The opioid epidemic in America has remained a national crisis since 2011 with opioid related deaths continuing to dramatically increase. Naloxone (Narcan) safely reverses the effects of an opioid overdose with little to no side effects. There is a gap in the literature regarding education and stigma-breaking conversations held between addicts and nurses surrounding an opioid overdose. This systematic literature review will examine the effects of nursing education on the acceptance and use of take-home Narcan kits within opioid drug users. Using the Kennesaw State University Library SuperSearch database, we searched for peer-reviewed studies that included one or more of the following keywords: “Opioid-related deaths”, “Take-home narcan”, and/or “Nursing education”. Inclusion criteria for our search were literature published within the last 5 years, opioids, opioid- related substances (eg., Heroin), and/or naloxone, and English language. Our exclusionary criteria were studies conducted prior to 2017, non-English language, non-opioid related substances, and non-naloxone related interventions. Using the PRISMA model we narrowed the search to specific studies pertaining to our inclusion criteria, the importance of take-home Narcan education with addicts, and its potential connection with lowering opioid deaths in the area. We plan to analyze and synthesize evidence to define the connection between nursing education with addicts pertaining to Narcan and a decrease in opioid related deaths. The final results of this report will be discussed at the Symposium as the review analysis is still in progress
