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. 2018 Sep;38(9):312-316.
doi: 10.24095/hpcdp.38.9.02.

At-a-glance - Opioid surveillance: monitoring and responding to the evolving crisis

[Article in English, French]
Kahina Abdesselam  1 , Matthew James Dann  1 , Ramona Alwis  1 , Julie Laroche  1 , Samuel Ileka-Priouzeau  1
Affiliations

At-a-glance - Opioid surveillance: monitoring and responding to the evolving crisis

[Article in English, French]
Kahina Abdesselam et al. Health Promot Chronic Dis Prev Can. 2018 Sep.

Abstract
in English, French

The incidence of opioid-related overdoses is increasing at an alarming pace, largely driven by the increased use of fentanyl and its analogues. The need for sound and reliable sources of data on opioid use is crucial in order to make decisions on implementing efficient interventions, and develop appropriate policies and guidelines to mitigate the burden of opioid use. This article highlights initiatives undertaken by federal partners to address the opioid crisis in Canada. The need for novel surveillance approaches that improve the collection and harmonization of drug-related data is also discussed.

Le nombre de cas de surdoses liées à la consommation d’opioïdes augmente à un rythme alarmant, principalement en raison de l’usage accru du fentanyl et de ses analogues. Des sources de données fiables et solides sur l’utilisation des opioïdes sont cruciales pour la planification d’interventions efficaces, de même que pour l’élaboration de politiques et de directives appropriées en vue de réduire le fardeau des opioïdes. Cet article porte sur les mesures entreprises par les partenaires fédéraux pour s’attaquer à la crise des opioïdes au Canada. Il traite aussi de la nécessité de nouvelles méthodes de surveillance destinées à améliorer la collecte et l’harmonisation des données sur les drogues.

Keywords: drug misuse; fentanyl; national trends; opioid; surveillance.

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Conflict of interest statement

All authors are employees of Health Canada. No author has any other conflict of interest to disclose.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Overall opioidsa dispensed by pharmacies (per 10 000 population), along with their morphine milligram equivalents (MME) per person per day, provinces,b Canada, 2017c
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Government of Canada. Ottawa(ON): National report: apparent opioid-related deaths (2016) (Internet) Available from: https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/substance-abuse/prescrip....
    1. CIHI. Ottawa(ON): Opioid crisis having “significant” impact on Canada’s health care system (Internet) Available from: https://www.cihi.ca/en/opioid-crisis-having-significant-impact-on-canada....
    1. New research reveals the trends and risk factors behind America’s growing heroin epidemic. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2015/p0707-heroin-epidemic.html.
    1. Narcotic drugs: estimated world requirements for 2013; statistics for 2011. International Narcotics Control Board
    1. Angus Reid Institute. Vancouver(BC): Opioids in Canada: one-in-eight have family or close friends who faced addiction (Internet) Available from: http://angusreid.org/opioid-crisis/

MeSH terms

Substances