Interventions and gaps in care after nonfatal overdose

A recent study published in JAMA Internal Medicine revealed that among 137,000 Medicare beneficiaries who experienced a nonfatal overdose in 2020, nearly 24,000 (17.4%) faced subsequent nonfatal overdoses, and approximately 1,300 (1%) died from overdose in the following year. Notably, survivors who received gold-standard treatments like medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) and naloxone had significantly reduced chances of overdose-related mortality. However, despite this mortality benefit, only a small percentage of the cohort received them.