Fatal and non-fatal opioid overdose prevention: Assessing data sources

The rate of deaths associated with opioids has increased at a startling rate. In fact recent CDC reports confirm that nationally, prescription drug abuse is the fastest growing drug problem. In 2006, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health was awarded a Strategic Prevention Framework State Incentive Grant (SPF-SIG) and identified reducing unintentional fatal and non-fatal opioid overdoses as its primary focus area. The Institute for Community Health (ICH) served as the evaluator for two communities receiving SPF-SIG funds. A cornerstone of ICH's approach is to build local capacity to 1) understand and value data, and 2) support data-informed programming. However, evaluation of opioid overdose prevention is a relatively new area, and there is limited guidance on determining appropriate indicators or reliable, timely data sources. The evaluation team worked collaboratively with project stakeholders to select and prioritize data sources, and review data quality. This process included quarterly data analysis and data interpretation sessions with local experts. The team evaluated data from a variety of sources including hospitals, police, ambulance, vital records, and the Drug Abuse Warning Network. Similar data was monitored from a non-funded comparison community. These data sources have notable benefits and were valuable at informing the work. Nonetheless, through our process we identified noteworthy limitations. Drawing on our experiences, this presentation provides an overview of real and potential challenges with various data sources. Recommendations will be discussed for evaluators and public health practitioners to consider in selecting data sources; and has implications for effectively planning for similar evaluation efforts.