U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams, MD, in April asked Americans to learn how to administer the opioid overdose antidote naloxone due to the rising cases of opioid overdoses. This prompted NPR to conducted a national poll, gauging Americans knowledge of naloxone.
For the survey, NPR and IBM Watson Health queried 3,003 individuals nationwide between May 1-15 about their attitudes, usage and experience with naloxone.
Here are five poll findings to know:
1. Fifty-nine percent of respondents were aware of naloxone and knew the drug is administered to people having an overdose, while 41 percent did not know of naloxone.
2. When asked if they would need a prescription for naloxone, the results were divided: 36 percent indicated yes, 34 percent said no and 31 percent were not sure. At present, naloxone is available without a prescription in 46 states.
3. Fifty-eight percent of all respondents said they would be willing to administer Narcan, the nasal spray form of naloxone, to people overdosing. Twenty-nine percent said they were not willing and 13 percent weren't sure or didn't respond. About 47 percent of people 65 and over also indicated they would administer Narcan.
4. Sixty-eight percent of all respondents indicated they would administer naloxone through injection, and 22 percent indicated they would not.
5. Only 10 percent of respondents who were aware of naloxone said they obtained the medication. Among those people, 81 percent indicated the naloxone was used, however NPR noted this finding was hard to interpret given the poll question's small sample size.