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Pilot Study on Risk Perceptions and Knowledge of Fentanyl Exposure Among New York State First Responders

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 October 2019

Eric Persaud Open the ORCID record for Eric Persaud [Opens in a new window]  and
Charles R. Jennings
Eric Persaud*
Affiliation:
John Jay College of Criminal Justice (CUNY), New York, New York SUNY Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, New York
Charles R. Jennings
Affiliation:
John Jay College of Criminal Justice (CUNY), New York, New York
*
Correspondence and reprint requests to Eric Persaud, Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, SUNY‐Downstate School of Public Health, 450 Clarkson Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11203 (e-mail: [email protected]).
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Abstract

Objectives:

The present opioid epidemic and abuse of fentanyl in the United States has led to an increased risk of exposure to first responders. Law enforcement, fire, and emergency medical services are receiving misinformation on fentanyl health and safety risks and this has led to miscommunication. Understanding the risk perceptions and knowledge of first responders regarding fentanyl can help identify training gaps.

Methods:

A 15-item 6-point Likert scale online questionnaire was developed and distributed to firefighters, police officers, and emergency medical technicians, regarding perceptions of fentanyl exposure, and additional questions concerning knowledge. The online questionnaire was sent to 15 associations of national and New York State first responders with 3 associations acknowledging and distributing the survey.

Results:

Of the 247 participants, 187 served New York State; 92 worked in law enforcement; and the other 95 worked in either fire, emergency medical service, or both. New York State first responders generally agreed with expert risk perceptions and knowledge of fentanyl exposure in the pilot study. Items pertaining to using hand sanitizer, selecting glove type, and dermal exposure to fentanyl had lower agreement with expert beliefs.

Conclusions:

Risk perceptions and knowledge could be used to evaluate fentanyl response training among first responders.

Keywords

fentanylfirst respondersoccupational chemical exposureopioids
Type
Brief Report
Information
Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness , Volume 14 , Issue 4 , August 2020 , pp. 437 - 441
Copyright
© 2019 Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc.

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