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Background
In 2021, 2232 people died of an overdose in British Columbia (BC), the highest annual death toll on record.* Smoking opioids has become the most common way to consume opioids and the proportion of overdose deaths from smoking unregulated drugs increased from 31% to 56% between 2016 and 2020.**
Given the rise in smoking-related deaths during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic since 2019, our project responded to an urgent need to develop a remote monitoring system that maintains physical distancing and is effective, feasible, and acceptable to staff at overdose prevention services (OPS) when monitoring and responding to people who smoke drugs. Continuous pulse oximetry enables real-time, remote oxygen level monitor for patients in health care settings. Introducing this technology at OPS for individuals smoking drugs would promote service user and staff safety by allowing monitoring from a safe distance.
Purpose
This project implemented a novel continuous pulse oximetry monitoring protocol using a participatory research approach to improve services at overdose prevention services for people who smoke opioids.
Objectives
- The main objective is to evaluate effectiveness, feasibility, and acceptability of continuous pulse oximetry
- The secondary objective is to describe the incidence, timing, duration, and severity of hypoxemia while smoking opioids
*British Columbia Coroners Service. Illicit Drug Toxicity Deaths in BC (January 1, 2011 – December 31, 2021). https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/birth-adoption-death-marriage-and-divorce/deaths/coroners-service/statistical/illicit-drug.pdf
**BC Coroners Services Illicit Drug Toxicity Deaths in BC Knowledge Update: Mode of Consumption (Feb 2022). https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/birth-adoption-death-marriage-and-divorce/deaths/coroners-service/statistical/mode-of-consumption.pdf