A Comparison of Florida Medical Examiners’ Reports and Death Certificates for Specific Drug Related Overdose Deaths

Academic Forensic Pathology

Volumn 2, Issue 2, 2012, Pages 190-197

  Paulozzi, Leonard J ^a,b,c,d   Ibrahimova, Aybaniz ^a,b,c,d   Rudd, Rose A ^a,b,c,d   Goldberger, Bruce A ^a,b,c,d   Thogmartin, Jon R ^a,b,c,d   Shelton, Kyla ^a,b,c,d  

^a NATIONAL CENTER FOR INJURY PREVENTION AND CONTROL   (United States)

^b University of Florida   (United States)

^c Pinellas County Forensic Laboratory   (United States)

^d FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH   (United States)

Author keywords

Coroners and medical examiners; Epidemiology; Forensic pathology; Overdose

Indexed keywords

EID: 84899977647     PISSN: None     EISSN: 19253621     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.23907/2012.027     Document Type: Article

References (20)

1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. WONDER [Internet]. Atlanta: The Centers; 2010 [updated 2010; cited 2010 Apr 28]. Available from: http://wonder.cdc.gov
2. Paulozzi L.J., Mercy J., Frazier L., CDC's National Violent Death Reporting System: background and methodology. Injury Prevention. 2004 Feb; 10(1): 47–52.
3. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration [Internet]. Rockville (MD): US Department of Health and Human Service, Office of Applied Studies; c2010. Drug Abuse Warning Network; [cited 2010 Dec 16]. Available from: http://www.samhsa.gov/data/DAWN.aspx
4. Graitcer P.L., Williams W.W., Finton R.J., An evaluation of the use of medical examiner data for epidemiologic surveillance. Am J Public Health. 1987 Sep; 77(9): 1212–4.
5. Landen M.G., Castle S., Nolte K.B., Methodological issues in the surveillance of poisoning, illicit drug overdose, and heroin overdose deaths in New Mexico. Am J Epidemiol. 2003 Feb 1; 157(3): 273–8.
6. Wysowski D.K., Schober S.E., Wise R.P., Kopstein A., Mortality attributed to misuse of psychoactive drugs, 1979-88. Public Health Rep. 1993 Sep-Oct; 108(5): 565–70.
7. Paulozzi L.J., Annest J.L., Unintentional poisoning deaths—United States, 1999-2004. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2007 Feb 9; 56(5): 93–6.
8. Paulozzi L.J., Annest J.L., US data show sharply rising drug-induced death rates. Inj Prev. 2007 Apr; 13(2): 130–2.
9. Pollack D.A., Holmgreen P., Lui K., Kirk M.L., Discrepancies in the reported frequency of cocaine-related deaths, United States, 1983 through 1988. JAMA. 1991 Oct 23-30; 266(16): 2233–7.
10. Hanzlick R., Death certificates, natural deaths, and alcohol. The problem of underreporting. Am J Forensic Med Pathol. 1988 Jun; 9(2): 149–50.
11. Webster L.R., Opioids and deaths. N Engl J Med. 2011 Feb 17; 364(7): 687.
12. Florida Department of Law Enforcement. 2008 Medical Examiners Commission Drug Report. Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Drugs identified in deceased persons by Florida medical examiners 2008 report [Internet]. Tallahassee (FL): State of Florida; 2009 Jun [cited 2011 Jan 17]. 43 p. Available from: http://www.fdle.state.fl.us/Content/getdoc/a37959db-85e0-42f9-b6d6-cdef532f22f8/2008DrugReport.aspx
13. Warner M., Chen L., Makuc D., Increase in fatal poisonings involving opioid analgesics in the united States, 1999-2006. [Internet]. Atlanta: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics; 2009 Sep [updated 2009 Sep 30; cited 2011 Jun 20]. Available from: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db22.htm
14. Fingerhut L.A., Increases in poisoning and methadone-related deaths: United States, 1999-2005 [Internet]. Atlanta: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics; 2008 Feb [updated 2010 Apr 6; cited 2010 Apr 30]. Available from: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hestat/poisoning/poisoning.htm
15. Xu J., Kochanek K.D., Murphy S.L., Tejada-Vera B.S., Deaths: Final data for 2007. Natl Vital Stat Rep [Internet]. 2010 May 20 [cited 2011 Jun 19]; 58(19): 1–136. Available from: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr58/nvsr58_19.pdf
16. National Center for Health Statistics [Internet]. Hyattsville (MD): Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; c2004. Vital statistics of the United States: Mortality, 1999. Technical appendix; 2004 Jul [cited 2011 Jun 20]. Available from: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/statab/techap99.pdf
17. Shai D., Problems of accuracy in official statistics on drug-related deaths. Int J Addict. 1994 Dec; 29(14): 1801–11.
18. Young T.W., Pollock D.A., Misclassification of deaths caused by cocaine. Am J Forensic Med Pathol. 1993 Mar; 14(1): 43–7.
19. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Unintentional and undetermined poisoning deaths—11 states, 1990-2001. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2004 Mar 26; 53(11): 233–8.
20. Paulozzi L.J., Xi Y., Recent changes in drug poisoning mortality in the United States by urban-rural status and by drug type. Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf. 2008 Oct; 17(10): 997–1005.