Elin Holmén
Affiliated to Research
E-mail: elin.holmen.2@ki.se
Visiting address: Norra Stationsgatan 69, 11364 Stockholm
Postal address: K8 Klinisk neurovetenskap, K8 CPF Jayaram/Hammarberg, 171 77 Stockholm
About me
- I am a PhD Student at the Centre for Psychiatry Research, Department for
Clinical Neuroscience at Karolinska Institutet. I am also a psychiatric nurse
at the Stockholm needle exchange program.
My focus of research is harm reduction and prevention of mortality in people
who inject drugs.
My main supervisor is Anders Hammarberg and co-supervisors are Martin
Kåberg and Jessica Storbjörk.
Research
- *PhD project*
The overall goal of my doctoral thesis is to investigate mortality and
morbidity among clients in the Stockholm needle exchange with the aim of
tailoring preventive measures to the needs of people who inject drugs.
A key strategy that can reduce fatal opioid overdoses is to implement
Take-Home-Naloxone programs. Naloxone is an opioid-specific antagonist that
swiftly and efficiently alters the effect of an opioid overdose, by reversing
respiratory depression which can prevent a fatal outcome. Take-Home-Naloxone
programs provide naloxone directly to individuals at risk of experiencing or
witnessing an overdose, in order to shorten the time to overdose reversal. In
the majority of heroin-related overdoses, death does not occur until 20-30
minutes after use, offering a window for pharmaceutical interventions to
reverse the overdose.
In my PhD project, I am studying the impact of the Take-Home-Naloxone program
in the Stockholm needle exchange through quantitative as well as qualitative
methods.
I am also planning further studies on drug related mortality and causes of
death in people who inject drugs.
*NaLPORS: Naloxone Prospective Observational Cohort Research Study*
I am involved in NaLPORS - an international research project, coordinated by
researchers in King’s College London. This is a prospective mixed methods
study of the effectiveness of naloxone administration by lay people in
reversing opioid overdose that will investigate and compare
Take-Home-Naloxone programs in several European countries.
Articles
- Article: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF DRUG POLICY. 2023;115:104021
- Article: SUBSTANCE ABUSE: TREATMENT, PREVENTION, AND POLICY. 2023;18(1):24
- Article: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF DRUG POLICY. 2022;107:103787
- Article: HARM REDUCTION JOURNAL. 2021;18(1):52
Employments
- Affiliated to Research, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, 2024-2027
Degrees and Education
- Degree Of Master Of Medical Science 60 Credits, Karolinska Institutet, 2016
- Postgraduate Diploma In Specialist Nursing, Karolinska Institutet, 2016