Urban Expansion of the SAFE-Home Opioid Management Education (SAFE-HOME) Naloxone Awareness Initiative for Home Health Workers and Older Adults

The SAFE-Home Opioid Management Education (SAFE-HOME) Naloxone Awareness pilot program utilized home health workers (HHWs) in rural settings to educate older adults prescribed opioids on naloxone access and use. This work expands the SAFE-HOME program to urban settings to prepare HHWs to educate community-dwelling older adults on opioid risks and life-saving naloxone. This prospective, interventional cohort study evaluated 60-min synchronous, virtual HHW educational training sessions describing opioid risks in older adults, opioid overdose signs and symptoms, and naloxone access and use. Knowledge assessments were conducted pre- and post-intervention via a pre-developed assessment tool in a repeated measure model. Outcomes included change in total opioid and naloxone knowledge, and baseline total and individual opioid and naloxone knowledge. Six educational sessions were held (n = 154). The average pre- and post-education scores were 62.7% (n = 108) and 83.5% (n = 82), respectively (p < 0.001). Of the 69 participants who completed both pre- and post-education assessments, the average change in total score was +19.6% (p < 0.001), opioid knowledge score −0.4% (p = 0.901), and naloxone knowledge score +32.9% (p < 0.001). At baseline, HHWs were knowledgeable on opioid risks, but lacked familiarity with naloxone access and use. Targeting HHWs with opioid and naloxone training positions them to effectively educate at-risk community-dwelling older adults.