Opioid Data Analysis and Resources

Table of content:

1. What Is Opioid?2. Understanding the Data 3. The Complexities of Opioid Data Analysis 4. Key Statistics 5. Factors Driving the Crisis 6. Further Information and Support Resources 7. Conclusion 8. References

Just a few decades ago the opioid epidemic began to be a pressing issue in America. This crisis has wide-reaching repercussions, whether you've lost someone personally or not.

This article will discuss opioid data analysis and resources that shed light on this matter from multiple perspectives providing an understanding of its scale and how it is being addressed.

1. What Is Opioid?

What do you think of when you hear “opioid”? Maybe you think of prescription pain relievers or heroin. In truth, the opioid family is varied and includes many legal substances as well. For a more analytic assessment of the crisis, it is essential to acknowledge four primary clusters:

Biochemical Classifications: They are well-known opioids. They can be natural and semisynthetic. Examples are morphine, codeine, oxycodone, and hydrocodone.
Methadone: A synthetic opioid frequently used in addiction treatment.t.
Other synthetic opioids: The most potent drugs-turned-opioid found in this family include fentanyl and tramadol.
Heroin: Derived from morphine.

All 4 of these categories each have a different role in the larger opioid crisis, and for how long they were/are dominant vary throughout time.

2. Understanding the Data

There are very few US opioid data analysis and resources for opioid mortality, the primary source is a dataset that comes from death certificates through the National Vital Statistics System (NVSS). But there are some challenges when it comes to categorizing and interpreting this data:

Multiple drug involvement: Most fatal overdoses involve more than one substance, which complicates pointing out the root causes of death to blame a single drug.
Inconsistent reporting: About 8% of drug overdose death certificates don't specify the drugs involved.
Evolving drug situation: The rapid emergence of new synthetic opioids complicates classification efforts.

This drives a constant evolution of methods for researchers to accommodate these challenges. For example, the CDC has started stratifying synthetic opioids (other than methadone) and other prescription opioid deaths separately now that overdoses from illicitly manufactured fentanyl are more understood.

3. The Complexities of Opioid Data Analysis

As we mentioned earlier, it’s gathering opioid-related data even, with our advanced technologies is still an issue. However, there are useful sources of data that can ultimately give us a clear idea of where we are in the fight against opioid-related casualties.

For example, healthcare systems can provide data on overdoses and treatment admissions. Law enforcement provides data when they make opioid-related arrests and drug seizures. When people die of overdoses, toxicology reports can help identify what drugs were involved in the deaths.

Yes, not all cases are reported, but by combining all these resources, we can hopefully get a full idea of the opioid landscape and how well every strategy we’re throwing against it is working.

4. Key Statistics

The magnitude of the opioid epidemic is hard to fathom. Here are numbers that could lend some perspective:

In the US, nearly 450.000 people have died from opioid-involved drug overdoses (between 1999 to 2019).
Around 47,000 Americans died of opioid-related causes in 2018. That is almost six times the toll in 1999.
In 2018, there were about 15,000 deaths of people due to prescribed opioids. This results in 41 dead Americans every day on average.

Horrible as those numbers may be, they are presumably conservative estimates of the full extent of case counts due to data gathering and categorization challenges talked about above.

5. Factors Driving the Crisis

The above statistics are eye-openers about the scale of the opioid epidemic, but these days, what’s driving the epidemic? There are major underlying factors leading to it:

The first wave of the crisis was mostly related to changes in prescribing practices. There have been attempts to rectify this but the legacy of previous practices is still felt.
The large influx of fentanyl combined with other potent synthetic opioids has dramatically increased the risks associated with overdose, even more so for those using without a physician involved in their care.
Opioid deaths often involve a variety of substances, making addiction complicated and interactions dangerous.
When a community experiences economic instability, does not have adequate access to health care, or faces social isolation the result is oftentimes opioid misuse and addiction.

6. Further Information and Support Resources

Here are a few many of resources (for yourself, a loved one, or your community):

SAMHSA
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
CDC’s Opioid Overdose support
For immediate help, NCATS National Helpline offers free and confidential treatment referrals and information 24/7: 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

7. Conclusion

Our nation is grappling with the worst drug crisis in its history: tens of millions hooked or dead on opioids. Through data interpretation, and addressing the multitude of circulating elements at play; we can embark on a journey to combat opioid misuse and addiction.

Furthermore, due to the ongoing research and innovative strategies being put into collaboration with our local leaders, it is essential we stay informed.

We are in this together and will serve to continue efforts in fighting the opioid epidemic, creating stronger communities going forward.

8. References

FENTANYL: THE NEXT WAVE OF THE OPIOID CRISIS. (n.d.). https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CHRG-115hhrg25507/html/CHRG-115hhrg25507.htm
FDA error. (n.d.). FDA. https://www.fda.gov/drugs/food-and-drug-administration-overdose-prevention-framework/timeline-selected-fda-activities-and-significant-events-addressing-substance-use-and-overdose
Focus on opiods - Connect2Health FCC. (n.d.). https://www.fcc.gov/reports-research/maps/connect2health/focus-on-opioids.html
Mann, B. (2021, December 30). More than a million Americans have died from overdoses during the opioid epidemic. NPR. https://www.npr.org/2021/12/30/1069062738/more-than-a-million-americans-have-died-from-overdoses-during-the-opioid-epidemi
Opioid use disorder. (n.d.). https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/opioid-use-disorder

Article by

Sara Alvarado

Greetings, I'm Sara, a dedicated nurse and a proud contributor to the AutoInfu blog. With my firsthand experience in the world of infusion pumps, I'm here to provide you with the latest insights, expert advice, and essential updates to ensure you stay informed about the infusion pump industry.

Opioid Data Analysis and Resources

by Sara Alvarado

Table of content:

1. What Is Opioid?

2. Understanding the Data

3. The Complexities of Opioid Data Analysis

4. Key Statistics

5. Factors Driving the Crisis

6. Further Information and Support Resources

7. Conclusion

8. References

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