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Toxicology
US prehospital buprenorphine growing fast
Prehospital Buprenorphine: A National Cross-Sectional Analysis
Western Journal of Emergency Medicine · 2026-10-11 · Added 13 October 2026
A national cross-sectional analysis of 167 million US EMS encounters found 2,180 prehospital buprenorphine administrations between 2020 and 2023, rising from 33 to 1,574 per year, with 80% of patients improving and only 16% of 911 cases transported.
- Study type
- Cross-sectional
- Design
- Cross-sectional analysis of national EMS registry data (joinpoint regression)
- Participants
- 2,180 buprenorphine administrations among 167,221,959 EMS encounters
- Main finding
- Annual administrations rose from 33 (2020) to 1,574 (2023); 80% documented improvement, 0.2% worse, nearly all crews ALS level, and 84% of 911 encounters did not result in EMS transport
- Caveat
- US dataset with likely incomplete reporting of a voluntary program, and no outcome follow-up beyond the encounter
- Bottom line
- Context only
Why it matters in Australia (Medium relevance). Buprenorphine is not something Australian ambulances carry — adoption would need a guideline change — but the model of treating overdose at scene and linking people to care without transport is directly relevant to the Australian debate.
Learning goal
Understand how prehospital buprenorphine programs can support opioid withdrawal care without routine transport.
More
- Topic: Toxicology
- Daily scan: 13 October 2026
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