The OD Buster app connects people in need of help with an overdose with naloxone carrying volunteers in the vicinity, in real-time, using GPS, Wi-Fi and other data technology.
The app’s core function is to alert volunteers when there is an overdose in progress nearby. When someone is overdosing, the app will alert nearby volunteers and direct them to the person’s location to provide this life-saving treatment. Volunteers will typically arrive before the ambulance/medics, and those extra minutes are the difference between life and death.
At this point, we are testing the first prototype of the software, which includes its core functions. Pending funding, the app will be further developed, piloted and evaluated with partners in three EU cities.
Updates will include direct communication functions, e.g. chat, phone; news and information sections, e.g. prescription and street drug fact sheets, including medical, harm reduction and legal information; links to (area-based) harm reduction services and treatment resources. We are furthermore working on wearable devices, for monitoring motion and vital signs that will be networked with OD Buster, allowing for automated overdose emergency alerts.