Using medical examiner case narratives to improve opioid overdose surveillance

International Journal of Drug Policy

Volumn 54, Issue , 2018, Pages 35-42

  Hurstak, Emily ^a   Rowe, Christopher ^b   Turner, Caitlin ^b   Behar, Emily ^b   Cabugao, Rachel ^b   Lemos, Nikolas P ^c   Burke, Catherine ^d   Coffin, Phillip ^b  

^a UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA   (United States)

^b SAN FRANCISCO DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH   (United States)

^c SAN FRANCISCO GENERAL HOSPITAL   (United States)

^d UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA   (United States)

Author keywords

Death certificates; Heroin; Injection drug use; Opioid overdose; Prescription opioids

Indexed keywords

BENZODIAZEPINE; DIAMORPHINE; METHADONE; MORPHINE 6 ACETATE; NARCOTIC ANALGESIC AGENT; OPIATE;

ADULT; ARTICLE; CALIFORNIA; CAUSE OF DEATH; CORONER; DISEASE CONTROL; DISEASE SURVEILLANCE; DRUG ABUSE; DRUG ADMINISTRATION ROUTE; DRUG OVERDOSE; FEMALE; HEALTH PROGRAM; HUMAN; MALE; MIDDLE AGED; MORTALITY RATE; NARRATIVE; PRESCRIPTION; PREVENTIVE MEDICINE; PRIORITY JOURNAL; RESIDENTIAL AREA; TOXICOLOGY; CLASSIFICATION; COMPARATIVE STUDY; ELECTRONIC HEALTH RECORD; EPIDEMIOLOGICAL MONITORING; MORTALITY; NARRATIVE MEDICINE; PROCEDURES; STATISTICS AND NUMERICAL DATA; TRENDS;

ANALGESICS, OPIOID; CALIFORNIA; CORONERS AND MEDICAL EXAMINERS; DRUG OVERDOSE; ELECTRONIC HEALTH RECORDS; EPIDEMIOLOGICAL MONITORING; FEMALE; HUMANS; MALE; MIDDLE AGED; NARRATIVE MEDICINE;

EID: 85041608300     PISSN: 09553959     EISSN: 18734758     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2017.12.017     Document Type: Article

References (56)

1. Bhattacharjee, P., McClarty, L.M., Musyoki, H., Anthony, J., Kioko, J., Kaosa, S., et al. Monitoring HIV prevention programme outcomes among key populations in Kenya: Findings from a national survey. PLoS One, 10, 2015, e0137007.
2. Black, R.A., Trudeau, K.J., Cassidy, T.A., Budman, S.H., Butler, S.F., Associations between public health indicators and injecting prescription opioids by prescription opioid abusers in substance abuse treatment. Journal of Opioid Management 9 (2013), 5–17.
3. Bogusz, M.J., Maier, R.D., Driessen, S., Morphine, morphine-3-glucuronide, morphine-6-glucuronide, and 6-monoacetylmorphine determined by means of atmospheric pressure chemical ionization-mass spectrometry-liquid chromatography in body fluids of heroin victims. Journal of Analytical Toxicology 21 (1997), 346–355.
4. Breiding, M.J., Wiersema, B., Variability of undetermined manner of death classification in the US. Injury Prevention 12:Suppl. 2 (2006), ii49–ii54.
5. Brugal, M.T., Barrio, G., De, L.F., Regidor, E., Royuela, L., Suelves, J.M., Factors associated with non-fatal heroin overdose: Assessing the effect of frequency and route of heroin administration. Addiction 97 (2002), 319–327.
6. CDC. (2015). Wide-ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research (WONDER), Multiple-Cause-of-Death file, 2000–2014. In. http://wonder.cdc.gov.ucsf.idm.oclc.org/: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
7. CDC. (2016). HIV Surveillance Report, 2015. In Diagnoses of HIV Infection in the United States and Dependent Areas, 2015 (Vol. 27, pp. 26–50). https://www.cdc.gov/hiv/pdf/library/reports/surveillance/cdc-hiv-surveillance-report-2015-vol-27.pdf.
8. Calcaterra, S., Glanz, J., Binswanger, I.A., National trends in pharmaceutical opioid related overdose deaths compared to other substance related overdose deaths: 1999–2009. Drug and Alcohol Dependence 131 (2013), 263–270.
9. Cone, E.J., Fant, R.V., Rohay, J.M., Caplan, Y.H., Ballina, M., Reder, R.F., et al. Oxycodone involvement in drug abuse deaths: A DAWN-based classification scheme applied to an oxycodone postmortem database containing over 1000 cases. Journal of Analytical Toxicology 27 (2003), 57–67 [discussion 67].
10. Darke, S., Duflou, J., The toxicology of heroin-related death: Estimating survival times. Addiction 111 (2016), 1607–1613.
11. Darke, S., Hall, W., Heroin overdose: Research and evidence-based intervention. Journal of Urban Health 80 (2003), 189–200.
12. Davidson, P.J., McLean, R.L., Kral, A.H., Gleghorn, A.A., Edlin, B.R., Moss, A.R., Fatal heroin-related overdose in San Francisco, 1997–2000: A case for targeted intervention. Journal of Urban Health 80 (2003), 261–273.
13. Davis, G.G., Complete republication: National Association of Medical Examiners position paper: Recommendations for the investigation, diagnosis, and certification of deaths related to opioid drugs. Journal of Medical Toxicology 10 (2014), 100–106.
14. Des Jarlais, D.C., Feelemyer, J.P., Modi, S.N., Abdul-Quader, A., Hagan, H., High coverage needle/syringe programs for people who inject drugs in low and middle income countries: A systematic review. BMC Public Health, 13, 2013, 53.
15. Doyle, J.S., Aspinall, E.J., Hutchinson, S.J., Quinn, B., Gore, C., Wiktor, S.Z., et al. Global policy and access to new hepatitis C therapies for people who inject drugs. International Journal on Drug Policy 26 (2015), 1064–1071.
16. Dutta, A., Wirtz, A.L., Baral, S., Beyrer, C., Cleghorn, F.R., Key harm reduction interventions and their impact on the reduction of risky behavior and HIV incidence among people who inject drugs in low-income and middle-income countries. Current Opinion in HIV and AIDS 7 (2012), 362–368.
17. Ellis, A.D., McGwin, G., Davis, G.G., Dye, D.W., Identifying cases of heroin toxicity where 6-acetylmorphine (6-AM) is not detected by toxicological analyses. Forensic Science, Medicine, and Pathology 12 (2016), 243–247.
18. Enteen, L., Bauer, J., McLean, R., Wheeler, E., Huriaux, E., Kral, A.H., et al. Overdose prevention and naloxone prescription for opioid users in San Francisco. Journal of Urban Health 87 (2010), 931–941.
19. Fernandez-Lopez, L., Folch, C., Majo, X., Gasulla, L., Casabona, J., Implementation of rapid HIV and HCV testing within harm reduction programmes for people who inject drugs: A pilot study. AIDS Care 28 (2016), 712–716.
20. Gladden, R.M., Martinez, P., Seth, P., Fentanyl law enforcement submissions and increases in synthetic opioid-involved overdose deaths – 27 states, 2013–2014. MMWR: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 65 (2016), 837–843.
21. Goldberger, B.A., Cone, E.J., Grant, T.M., Caplan, Y.H., Levine, B.S., Smialek, J.E., Disposition of heroin and its metabolites in heroin-related deaths. Journal of Analytical Toxicology 18 (1994), 22–28.
22. Goldberger, B.A., Maxwell, J.C., Campbell, A., Wilford, B.B., Uniform standards and case definitions for classifying opioid-related deaths: Recommendations by a SAMHSA consensus panel. Journal of Addictive Diseases 32 (2013), 231–243.
23. Gottas, A., Oiestad, E.L., Boix, F., Vindenes, V., Ripel, A., Thaulow, C.H., et al. Levels of heroin and its metabolites in blood and brain extracellular fluid after i.v. heroin administration to freely moving rats. British Journal of Pharmacology 170 (2013), 546–556.
24. Hahne, S.J., Veldhuijzen, I.K., Wiessing, L., Lim, T.A., Salminen, M., Laar, M., Infection with hepatitis B and C virus in Europe: A systematic review of prevalence and cost-effectiveness of screening. BMC Infectious Diseases, 13, 2013, 181.
25. Hargrove, S.L., Bunn, T.L., Slavova, S., Quesinberry, D., Corey, T., Ralston, W., et al. Establishment of a comprehensive drug overdose fatality surveillance system in Kentucky to inform drug overdose prevention policies, interventions and best practices. Injury Prevention, 2017 Epub ahead of print July 2017.
26. Hearn, W., Walls, H., Common methods in postmortem toxicology. Karch, S., (eds.) Drug abuse handbook, 1998, CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, 890–926.
27. Hirsch, A., Proescholdbell, S.K., Bronson, W., Dasgupta, N., Prescription histories and dose strengths associated with overdose deaths. Pain Medicine 15 (2014), 1187–1195.
28. Hurley, S.F., Jolley, D.J., Kaldor, J.M., Effectiveness of needle-exchange programmes for prevention of HIV infection. Lancet 349 (1997), 1797–1800.
29. Jauncey, M.E., Taylor, L.K., Degenhardt, L.J., The definition of opioid-related deaths in Australia: Implications for surveillance and policy. Drug and Alcohol Review 24 (2005), 401–409.
30. Jones, C.M., Christensen, A., Gladden, R.M., Increases in prescription opioid injection abuse among treatment admissions in the United States, 2004–2013. Drug and Alcohol Dependence 176 (2017), 89–95.
31. Kerr, T., Mitra, S., Kennedy, M.C., McNeil, R., Supervised injection facilities in Canada: Past, present, and future. Harm Reduction Journal, 14, 2017, 28.
32. Konstantinova, S.V., Normann, P.T., Arnestad, M., Karinen, R., Christophersen, A.S., Morland, J., Morphine to codeine concentration ratio in blood and urine as a marker of illicit heroin use in forensic autopsy samples. Forensic Science International 217 (2012), 216–221.
33. Landen, M.G., Castle, S., Nolte, K.B., Gonzales, M., Escobedo, L.G., Chatterjee, B.F., et al. Methodological issues in the surveillance of poisoning, illicit drug overdose, and heroin overdose deaths in new Mexico. American Journal of Epidemiology 157 (2003), 273–278.
34. Lansky, A., Finlayson, T., Johnson, C., Holtzman, D., Wejnert, C., Mitsch, A., et al. Estimating the number of persons who inject drugs in the united states by meta-analysis to calculate national rates of HIV and hepatitis C virus infections. PLoS One, 9, 2014, e97596.
35. Liebling, E.J., Green, T.C., Hadland, S.E., Marshall, B.D.L., Injection drug use and overdose among young adults who use prescription opioids non-medically. Addictive Behaviors 76 (2017), 20–26.
36. Lung, D.D., Lemos, N.P., Fentanyl: Cause of death or incidental finding? Postmortem peripheral blood concentrations with and without documented transdermal patch use. Forensic Toxicology 32 (2014), 118–125.
37. Mertz, K.J., Janssen, J.K., Williams, K.E., Underrepresentation of heroin involvement in unintentional drug overdose deaths in Allegheny County, PA. Journal of Forensic Sciences 59 (2014), 1583–1585.
38. Monteiro, J.F., Galea, S., Flanigan, T., Monteiro Mde, L., Friedman, S.R., Marshall, B.D., Evaluating HIV prevention strategies for populations in key affected groups: The example of Cabo Verde. International Journal of Public Health 60 (2015), 457–466.
39. Novak, S.P., Kral, A.H., Comparing injection and non-injection routes of administration for heroin, methamphetamine, and cocaine users in the United States. Journal of Addictive Diseases 30 (2011), 248–257.
40. Peters, P.J., Pontones, P., Hoover, K.W., Patel, M.R., Galang, R.R., Shields, J., et al. HIV infection linked to injection use of oxymorphone in Indiana, 2014–2015. New England Journal of Medicine 375 (2016), 229–239.
41. Peterson, A.B., Gladden, R.M., Delcher, C., Spies, E., Garcia-Williams, A., Wang, Y., et al. Increases in fentanyl-related overdose deaths – Florida and Ohio, 2013–2015. MMWR: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 65 (2016), 844–849.
42. Potier, C., Laprevote, V., Dubois-Arber, F., Cottencin, O., Rolland, B., Supervised injection services: What has been demonstrated? A systematic literature review. Drug and Alcohol Dependence 145 (2014), 48–68.
43. Rudd, R.A., Seth, P., David, F., Scholl, L., Increases in drug and opioid-involved overdose deaths – United States, 2010–2015. MMWR: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 65 (2016), 1445–1452.
44. Ruhm, C.J., Drug poisoning deaths in the United States, 1999–2012: A statistical adjustment analysis. Popul Health Metr, 14, 2016, 2.
45. Sacks-Davis, R., Horyniak, D., Grebely, J., Hellard, M., Behavioural interventions for preventing hepatitis C infection in people who inject drugs: A global systematic review. International Journal on Drug Policy 23 (2012), 176–184.
46. Slavova, S., O'Brien, D.B., Creppage, K., Dao, D., Fondario, A., Haile, E., et al. Drug overdose deaths: Let's get specific. Public Health Reports 130 (2015), 339–342.
47. Somerville, N.J., O'Donnell, J., Gladden, R.M., Zibbell, J.E., Green, T.C., Younkin, M., et al. Characteristics of fentanyl overdose – Massachusetts, 2014–2016. MMWR: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 66 (2017), 382–386.
48. Sternfeld, I., Perras, N., Culross, P.L., Development of a coroner-based surveillance system for drug-related deaths in Los Angeles county. Journal of Urban Health 87 (2010), 656–669.
49. Trinidad, J.P., Warner, M., Bastian, B.A., Minino, A.M., Hedegaard, H., Using literal text from the death certificate to enhance mortality statistics: Characterizing drug involvement in deaths. National Vital Statistics Reports 65 (2016), 1–15.
50. Visconti, A.J., Santos, G.M., Lemos, N.P., Burke, C., Coffin, P.O., Opioid overdose deaths in the city and county of San Francisco: Prevalence, distribution, and disparities. Journal of Urban Health 92:4 (2015), 758–772.
51. Warner, M., Chen, L.H., Makuc, D.M., Increase in fatal poisonings involving opioid analgesics in the United States, 1999–2006. NCHS Data Brief, 2009, 1–8.
52. Warner, M., Chen, L.H., Makuc, D.M., Anderson, R.N., Minino, A.M., Drug poisoning deaths in the United States, 1980–2008. NCHS Data Brief, 2011, 1–8.
53. Warner, M., Paulozzi, L., Nolte, K., Davis, G., Ls, N., State variation in certifying manner of death and drugs involved in drug intoxication deaths. Academic Forensic Pathology 3 (2013), 231–237.
54. Wejnert, C., Hess, K.L., Hall, H.I., Van Handel, M., Hayes, D., Fulton, P. Jr., et al. Vital signs: Trends in HIV diagnoses, risk behaviors, and prevention among persons who inject drugs – United States. MMWR: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 65 (2016), 1336–1342.
55. Wheeler, E., Jones, T.S., Gilbert, M.K., Davidson, P.J., Centers for Disease, C., Prevention, Opioid overdose prevention programs providing naloxone to laypersons – United States, 2014. MMWR: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 64 (2015), 631–635.
56. Wysowski, D.K., Nourjah, P., Analyzing prescription drugs as causes of death on death certificates. Public Health Reports, 119, 2004, 520.