Empowering High School Staff to Respond to Emergencies: A Pilot Training Program for Intranasal Naloxone and Epinephrine Administration

Background To evaluate the effectiveness and feasibility of a bimodal educational program designed to improve high school staff members’ knowledge and confidence in recognizing and managing opioid overdoses and anaphylactic reactions. Methods Twenty high school teachers and staff participated in a structured educational intervention consisting of a 30-minute didactic presentation covering opioid overdose and anaphylaxis recognition and management. Following the presentation, instructors led a 15-minute hands-on practical exercise using intranasal naloxone and epinephrine auto-injector training devices. A survey assessing knowledge and self-reported confidence was administered immediately before and after the training to measure the impact of the educational intervention. Results Participants’ post-training scores demonstrated significant improvement. Knowledge assessment scores increased from 62.5–87.5% (p ≤ 0.05). The most substantial knowledge increase was seen in identification of the proper method of intranasal naloxone administration (67% increase in correct responses). Additionally, participants expressed increased confidence in recognition and management of both emergencies following the training session, indicated by a 2.1-point increase on a 5-point Likert scale. Conclusion This pilot study demonstrates that our educational program has the potential to significantly improve the ability of school personnel to recognize and manage opioid overdose and anaphylaxis. Our results indicate that scaling the program to multiple campuses is feasible, financially sustainable, and should be considered as a proactive measure to improve safety and potentially save lives during student medical emergencies.