NEW LOCATION: HANOVER AB

Moderator: Puja Seth, PhD, Lead, Overdose Epidemiology and Surveillance Team, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

CE Certified By: AMA,AAFP,ACPE,ADA,ANCC,GA Bar,GA POST

In 2016, 11 states received Enhanced State Opioid Overdose Surveillance grants from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Kentucky, New Mexico and Wisconsin will share experiences with using enhanced data sources to track fatal and nonfatal opioid overdoses. They have found that the overlay of traditional and enhanced data provides a more complete picture of opioid overdoses. Their experiences show how the epidemic is shifting in different states.

The presenters will compare traditional and enhanced monitoring of opioid overdoses at state and local levels. Traditional data sources, including hospital discharge records and death certificates, lack timeliness and information about overdose risk factors. Enhanced data sources include ambulance runs, emergency department syndromic surveillance data, prescription drug monitoring programs, toxicology, and coroner/medical examiner reports. Linkages among these systems can further enhance overdose surveillance.

In Kentucky, rapid data systems are highly correlated with traditional monitoring systems. Sources show increases in nonfatal opioid and heroin overdoses, further confirmed by similar increases in fatal overdoses. In New Mexico, there were 168 unintentional-and undetermined-intent drug overdose deaths in the latter half of 2016. Of the fentanyl overdose deaths (14.9% of all overdose deaths), 48% were due to illicitly manufactured fentanyl. In Wisconsin, enhanced data sources suggest a continuous climb in nonfatal opioid overdoses. However, traditional sources do not support this, suggesting Wisconsin is seeing an increase in suspected (rapid data sources) but not confirmed (traditional data sources) cases. Fatal overdoses show decreasing Rx opioid deaths but increasing heroin and multiple-drug deaths.

UPON COMPLETION OF THIS COURSE, PARTICIPANTS WILL BE ABLE TO:
- Identify enhanced surveillance systems available to public health.
- Explain the caveats related to these enhanced systems.
- Describe how three different states have implemented these enhanced systems.