Volunteer first responders delivering naloxone to suspected opioid overdoses
Official title: REgion Skåne Preventing Overdose Through Naloxone Distribution With Emergency Runners: a Feasibility Study for a Model to Save Lives Through a Volunteer First Responder Service Providing Antidote Treatment in Opioid Overdose
Run by Region Skane · NCT07079241 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project will try a smartphone-based system that alerts trained volunteer responders carrying naloxone to help people aged 15 and older during suspected opioid overdoses.
Quick facts
| Study type | Interventional |
|---|---|
| Ages | 18 Years and up |
| Sex | All |
| Enrollment | 1000 (estimated) |
| Sponsor | Region Skane Academic / other |
| Locations | 1 site (Malmö, Skåne County) |
| Status | Recruiting |
| Started | September 1, 2025 |
| Main results expected | August 31, 2027 |
| Study ends | August 31, 2027 |
| Registry record updated | December 17, 2025 |
| Trial ID | NCT07079241 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
Is this trial a fit for you?
✓Likely a good fit
People aged 15 or older experiencing a suspected opioid overdose within the dispatch area who can be reached by volunteer responders are the intended beneficiaries.
✕Probably not a fit
People outside the dispatch coverage area, those with non-opioid emergencies or unwitnessed events where no responder can be alerted, and cases needing immediate advanced medical care may not receive benefit from this intervention.
A plain-English reading of the study's rules. Only the study team can confirm whether you qualify.
What this trial studies
This two-year pilot integrates a smartphone app with national emergency dispatch to alert trained volunteer responders who carry naloxone to suspected opioid overdoses. Volunteers complete an opioid overdose and naloxone course plus a first aid course, register in the app, and are reimbursed for purchasing naloxone kits. The trial will collect quantitative data on feasibility, acceptability, safety and mortality outcomes, and will follow each registered volunteer for one year. Several sub-studies, including qualitative interviews with recipients and responders, will explore experiences and implementation barriers.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the program could shorten time to naloxone administration, reduce overdose deaths and complications, and provide lifesaving care before ambulance arrival.
How similar studies have gone: Volunteer responder systems have improved survival in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest and community naloxone distribution has reduced opioid deaths, but combining dispatcher-linked smartphone responders with naloxone delivery for overdoses is relatively novel and underexplored.
Who can join: the full rules
Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria for volunteer first responder: 1. Give informed written consent to participate in the study 2. Successfully complete an opioid overdose and naloxone course in addition to a first aid course, following current first aid guidelines from the Swedish Resuscitation Council and the European Resuscitation Council. 3. Download and register oneself as a user on the project-specific volunteer first responder app on a smartphone 4. Purchase naloxone from a pharmacy and receive reimbursement for the full cost of the purchase upon submission of the pharmacy receipt Exclusion Criteria for volunteer first responder: 1\. Displaying inappropriate behavior during the education day (or otherwise in time, as witnessed or experienced by course instructors or the project team). Such conduct could for example be to not follow the guidelines of low-arousal (non-confrontational) approach in emergencies. Inclusion Criteria for overdose alerts: 1. Victim being ≥15 years old 2. Any naloxone-responder being up to 10.000 meters from the situation, in Skåne Exclusion Criteria for overdose alerts: 1. Any trauma behind the condition 2. Dispatcher impression of the scene to be unsafe for lay persons
Where it's running
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Malmö Addiction Center
Malmö, Skåne County, Sweden Recruiting
Study contacts
- Principal investigator: Anders C Håkansson, MD, prof. — Malmö Addiction Center, Region Skåne, Sweden
- Study coordinator: Julia Rehn, MD, PhD student
- Email: julia.rehn@med.lu.se
- Phone: +46709464663
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How to take part
- Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
- Check the official listing on ClinicalTrials.gov for the latest contact details and recruitment status.
- Contact the study coordinator or principal investigator to ask for pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.