Tracking Drug Overdose Trends in Ohio using ED Chief Complaints

Preliminary analysis was completed to define, identify, and track the trends of drug overdoses (OD), both intentional and unintentional, from emergency department (ED) and urgent care (UC) chief complaint data. Using Chief complaint data to quickly track changes in the geographical distribution, demographics, and volume of ODs may aid public health efforts to decrease the number of associated deaths. A specific classifier was created to define all potential ED visits related to drug ODs. Further study of post-diagnostic ED/UC data to confirm preliminary trends is warranted.