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. 2018 Jun;38(6):244-247.
doi: 10.24095/hpcdp.38.6.04.

At-a-glance - Hospitalizations and emergency department visits due to opioid poisoning in Canada

[Article in English, French]
Shannon O'Connor  1 , Vera Grywacheski  1 , Krista Louie  1
Affiliations

At-a-glance - Hospitalizations and emergency department visits due to opioid poisoning in Canada

[Article in English, French]
Shannon O'Connor et al. Health Promot Chronic Dis Prev Can. 2018 Jun.

Abstract
in English, French

The rise in opioid-related harms is an issue of increasing public health importance in Canada. This analysis used data from the Hospital Morbidity Database and the National Ambulatory Care Reporting System to determine the number of opioid poisoning hospitalizations and emergency department visits in Canada. Opioid poisoning hospitalizations have increased over the past 10 years, reaching 15.6 per 100 000 population in 2016/17. Emergency department visits due to opioid poisoning have also increased in Alberta and Ontario, the two provinces that collect emergency department data at the level of detail required for this analysis. These findings highlight the importance of pan- Canadian surveillance of opioid-related harms, as well as the need for evidence-based policies to help reduce these harms.

L’augmentation des méfaits attribuables aux opioïdes constitue un problème de plus en plus préoccupant en santé publique au Canada. Cette analyse a utilisé les données de la Base de données sur la morbidité des hôpitaux et du Système national de rapports sur les soins ambulatoires pour déterminer le nombre d’hospitalisations et de visites aux services d’urgence en raison d’un empoisonnement aux opioïdes au Canada. Le nombre d’hospitalisations pour empoisonnement aux opioïdes a augmenté au cours des 10 dernières années, atteignant 15,6 par tranche de 100 000 habitants en 2016-2017, et celui des visites aux services d’urgence en raison d’un empoisonnement aux opioïdes a également augmenté en Alberta et en Ontario, les deux provinces qui ont recueilli des données des services d’urgence assez détaillées pour être analysées. Ces résultats soulignent l’importance de la surveillance pancanadienne des méfaits attribuables aux opioïdes, ainsi que la nécessité de politiques fondées sur des données probantes pour aider à les réduire.

Keywords: analgesics; emergency service; hospital; hospitalization; opioid; public health.

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Conflict of interest statement

CIHI has received five years of funding from Health Canada for work related to the monitoring and surveillance of prescription drug abuse in Canada. The authors have no other conflicts of interest to disclose.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Opioid poisoning hospitalizations, Canada, 2007/08 to 2016/17
Figure 2
Figure 2. Opioid poisoning hospitalizations by age (in years), Canada, 2007/08 to 2016/17
Figure 3
Figure 3. Hospitalizations and ED visits due to opioid poisoning, age-adjusted rates per 100 000 population, Canada, 2016/17
Figure 4
Figure 4. Opioid poisoning ED visits, Ontario and Alberta, 2012/13 to 2016/17
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Government of Canada. Ottawa(ON): Apparent opioid-related deaths. Available from: https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/substance-abuse/prescrip....

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