Redefining and categorizing emergency medical service opioid‐related incidents in Massachusetts.
Aims: To create a novel emergency medical service (EMS) opioid‐related incident (ORI) tiering framework to describe more accurately the opioid epidemic in Massachusetts. By classifying the data, we could more accurately detail differing trends among the new categories. Design: Free‐text fields of Ma...
| Published in: | Addiction Vol. 118; no. 7; pp. 1381 - 1387 |
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| Main Authors: | , , , |
| Format: | research tables/charts Journal Article |
| Published: |
Wiley-Blackwell
Jul2023
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| Online Access: | View this record in EBSCOhost |
| fields | @attributes: recordID: 1 pdfLink: plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ccm&AN=164250347&site=ehost-live header: @attributes: shortDbName: ccm uiTerm: 164250347 longDbName: CINAHL Complete uiTag: AN controlInfo: bkinfo: dissinfo: jinfo: jid: 09652140 AIO jtl: Addiction issn: 09652140 maglogo: Y pubinfo: dt: Jul2023 vid: 118 iid: 7 pid: 480 pub: Wiley-Blackwell place: Malden, Massachusetts artinfo: ui: 164250347 161782955 164250347 164250347 10.1111/add.16148 164250347 ppf: 1381 ppct: 6 formats: fmt: – @attributes: type: T – @attributes: type: C – @attributes: type: P tig: atl: Redefining and categorizing emergency medical service opioid‐related incidents in Massachusetts. aug: au: Jones, Katarina Bernson, Dana Fillo, Katherine T. Bettano, Amy L. affil: Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Boston Massachusetts, , USA sug: subj: Emergency Medical Services Classification Analgesics, Opioid Adverse Effects Opioid Epidemic Adverse Effects Emergency Medical Services Trends Massachusetts Human Reports Severity of Injury Signs and Symptoms Emergency Medical Technicians Physicians, Emergency Paramedics Algorithms Overdose Risk Factors Analgesics, Opioid Poisoning Death Naloxone Administration and Dosage Drug Toxicity Drug Therapy Overdose Drug Therapy Funding Source ab: Aims: To create a novel emergency medical service (EMS) opioid‐related incident (ORI) tiering framework to describe more accurately the opioid epidemic in Massachusetts. By classifying the data, we could more accurately detail differing trends among the new categories. Design: Free‐text fields of Massachusetts EMS reports, from 2013 through 2020, were analyzed to identify ORIs and then categorized into a five‐tier severity cascade based on symptom presentation: 'dead on arrival,' 'acute overdose,' 'intoxication,' 'withdrawal' and 'other ORI.' As a validation of the new classification, an emergency medical technician, paramedic and emergency medical physician reviewed clinical reports and assigned a severity category to 100 randomly selected cases. The algorithm then assessed the same 100 cases to determine if it could accurately identify the severity category for each case. Findings Validation of the algorithm by clinical review indicated a substantial level of agreement between the algorithm and the reviewers. Over half of all ORIs were acute overdose (55%), 21% were intoxication, 20% were other ORI, 3% were withdrawal, and 1% were dead on arrival. Overall ORIs decreased in 2020, but the number of 'dead on arrival' increased 32% from 2019. Administration of naloxone also differed between the categories, with 95% of acute overdose and 29% of intoxication receiving naloxone. Conclusions: This novel categorization of emergency medical service opioid‐related incidents in Massachusetts, United States, reveals new trend details and strains on the emergency medical service system. Using these categories also improves dataset linkage within the state and interstate rate comparisons. pubtype: Academic Journal doctype: research tables/charts Journal Article ougenre: Article language: English refInfo: holdings: @attributes: islocal: N |
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