People with a nonfatal opioid overdose who have access to a peer support program while in the emergency department are more likely to initiate treatment and less likely to have repeated overdoses, according to a Rutgers Health study.

The study is the largest study on outcomes associated with emergency department-based peer support for opioid use disorders and was published in JAMA Network Open.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nonfatal drug overdoses are treated in emergency departments, which historically have stabilized and then discharged patients without linking them to treatment options.

From Opioid Overdose to Treatment Initiation: Outcomes Associated with Peer Support in Emergency Departments | School of Social Work (rutgers.edu)