In an analysis of data collected as part of EMBED, an NIH Collaboratory Demonstration Project, the rate of opioid overdose visits per 100 all-cause visits to emergency departments rose nearly 30% in 2020. The absolute number of opioid overdose visits increased by more than 10%, even while visits for other life-threatening conditions declined. The findings provide insight into the widespread worsening of the opioid epidemic during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States.
The paper was published ahead of print this month in the Annals of Emergency Medicine.
The study accessed data from 25 emergency departments in Alabama, Colorado, Connecticut, Massachusetts, North Carolina, and Rhode Island. Five of the 6 healthcare systems in the study are participating in EMBED, a pragmatic trial of prescribing practices for opioid use disorder in emergency departments. An amended study protocol enabled the researchers to collect the data as part of an effort to better understand the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on trial enrollment.
EMBED is supported within the NIH Collaboratory by a cooperative agreement from the National Institute on Drug Abuse and receives logistical and technical support from the NIH Collaboratory Coordinating Center. Read more about EMBED in the Living Textbook, and learn more about the NIH Collaboratory Demonstration Projects.
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