Observational studyEmergency medicine Australasia : EMA2023
Dedicated nursing care pathway improved management of opioid-poisoned patients in the emergency department: A before-after observational study.
Observational study in Emergency medicine Australasia : EMA, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Oxygen Saturation Thresholds for Opioid-induced Respiratory Depression: A Systematic Review.The western journal of emergency medicine · 2026Pooled it
- Introduction of a systematic examination framework for chronic cough: a before-after cohort study in a clinical setting.European clinical respiratory journal · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
Abstract
objectiveOpioid overdose is increasing and accounts for two-thirds of poisoning deaths. Opioid induced respiratory depression is life-threatening and can be under-recognised even in the hospital setting. We aimed to evaluate the effect of a care pathway on the management of opioid-poisoned patients.
methodsThis is a before-after observational study following the introduction of a nursing care pathway for opioid-poisoned patients presenting to ED. Medical records were retrospectively reviewed pre (6-month period 1 year prior) and post (9-month period following) the introduction of the pathway. The primary outcome was the proportion of documented episodes of respiratory depression (respiratory rate <10 or oxygen saturation <93% on room air) receiving naloxone. Secondary outcomes were time to naloxone, number of documented observations (first 4 h) and length of stay.
resultsThere were 111 patients included in the study, 61 pre-intervention and 50 post-intervention (35 followed the pathway). A significantly larger proportion of patients received naloxone for respiratory depression when the pathway was used (134/200 [67%] vs 34/118 [29%], difference 38%, 95% CI 28-48%). The median time to naloxone was similar (pathway 28.5 min vs no pathway 35 min, difference -6.5 min, 95% CI -19 to 12 min). Documentation increased when the pathway was used (12.0 observations/presentation vs 7.5 observations/presentation, difference 4.5 observations/patient, 95% CI 2.1-7.0 observations/patient). Length of stay was similar (pathway 16.7 h vs no pathway 15.3 h, difference 1.4 h, 95% CI -2.4 to 5.9 h).
conclusionsFollowing the introduction of a dedicated opioid poisoning nursing care pathway, naloxone delivery and observation documentation increased. A care pathway may improve ED management of opioid poisoning.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.