History of Methadone and Buprenorphine Opioid Agonist Therapy Among People Who Died of an Accidental Opioid-Involved Overdose: Rhode Island, January 1, 2018–June 30, 2020
- Resource Type
- Authors
- Mackenzie Daly; James B. McDonald; Benjamin D Hallowell; Rachel P Scagos; Lisa M. Gargano; Heidi R Weidele; Laura C Chambers
- Source
- American Journal of Public Health. 111:1600-1603
- Subject
- medicine.medical_specialty
business.industry
Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
Opioid-Related Disorders
Buprenorphine
Analgesics, Opioid
Opiate Overdose
Opioid
Risk Factors
Opioid Agonist
Accidental
Intervention (counseling)
Emergency medicine
Opiate Substitution Treatment
Humans
Medicine
business
Methadone
medicine.drug
- Language
- ISSN
- 1541-0048
0090-0036
To guide intervention efforts, we identified the proportion of individuals previously engaged in opioid agonist therapy among people who died of an accidental opioid-involved overdose. Most individuals (60.9%) had never received any prior buprenorphine or methadone treatment. Individuals who died of an overdose in 2020 had a similar demographic profile and treatment history compared with prior years. To prevent additional accidental opioid-involved overdose deaths, efforts should be directed toward linking individuals to care.