Paramedic response to the opioid crisis: Education and training across the treatment and care continuum in out-of-hospital emergency and community settings

The objective of the Standard is to provide a national framework for paramedic emergency and community response to the opioid crisis that can be implemented by other first responders across Canada. The framework will facilitate training, curriculum development, and professional development to enhance paramedic competence and treatment capacity to respond to the opioid crisis and safely manage patients in the community along the treatment continuum of care in a: from primary prevention, harm reduction, withdrawal management, treatment, and promotion of community awareness. The Standard will provide timely guidance for paramedics and other first responders to address prevention and treatment of opioid addiction and overdose in out-of-hospital emergency and community settings in a coordinated manner with other services. The Standard will include tools for health promotion, knowledge translation, and program evaluation activities that will help to ensure the successful uptake and use of the Standard, and will better prepare paramedics and other first responders to address the needs of their communities with a holistic and impactful approach.