191197 Pharmaceutical and illicit drug mortality in the United.States: Trends and research issues

Tuesday, October 28, 2008: 10:32 AM

Marcella H. Sorg, PhD, RN, D-ABFA , Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center, University of Maine, Orono, ME
Leonard J. Paulozzi, MD, MPH , National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA
     
We use national surveillance sources, including death certificate, medical examiner/coroner, and emergency room data, as well as state medical examiner data to demonstrate that deaths due to prescription drugs have increased sharply nationwide, in both urban and rural areas, and among persons in their middle years. Most of the increase involves narcotic analgesics. These deaths often include co-intoxication with benzodiazepines and alcohol, or illicit drugs such cocaine.

Learning Objectives:
1. Describe the directionality and general amplitude of trends in mortality due to pharmaceutical drugs, and identify two key pharmacological categories responsible for recent mortality patterns 2. Identify key features of prescription drug monitoring programs, their strengths and limitations, regulatory and enforcement issues, and results 3. Describe media-based and educational approaches to reducing prescription drug abuse, including news media coverage of the issue, target audience selection, campaign strengths and limitations, and results to date

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: expertise and work in fiedl
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

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