Background
Substance misuse continues to be a significant concern in the United States, with over 700,000 lives lost from a drug overdose between 1999 and 2017. However, nursing curricula have failed to keep pace with the epidemic.
Methods
The current study used a pre‐post study design and involved a convenience sample of undergraduate nursing students (n = 37) enrolled in a community health nursing course. Students completed an 11‐item online survey examining naloxone stigma, naloxone self‐efficacy, and naloxone knowledge. A paired sample t test was conducted to evaluate the impact of the in‐person training and education event.
Results
There was a statistically significant increase in post‐intervention naloxone knowledge scores from the pre‐survey (M = 3.57, SD = 0.959) to the post‐survey (M = 4.70, SD = 0.520). Stigma toward naloxone demonstrated a statistically significant increase in the post‐intervention stigma survey (M = 9.00, SD = 1.312) compared with the pre‐intervention stigma survey (M = 7.78, SD = 2.228). Naloxone self‐efficacy also demonstrated a statistically significant increase in the post‐intervention naloxone efficacy survey (M = 10.08, SD = 1.064) compared with the pre‐intervention naloxone efficacy scores (M = 7.38, SD = 2.22).
Conclusions
The students’ scores demonstrated a significant increase in naloxone knowledge, self‐efficacy, and stigma. Future research is needed to explore the impact of integrating naloxone education in the undergraduate nursing curriculum.