Using Syndromic Data for Opioid Overdose Surveillance in Utah

The current surveillance system for opioid-related overdoses at UDOH has been limited to mortality data provided by the Office of the Medical Examiner (OME). Timeliness is a major concern with OME data due to the considerable lag in its availability, often up to six months or more. To enhance opioid overdose surveillance, UDOH has implemented additional surveillance using timely syndromic data to monitor fatal and nonfatal opioid-related overdoses in Utah.

Objective:

To monitor opioid-related overdose in real-time using emergency department visit data and to develop an opioid overdose surveillance report for Utah Department of Health (UDOH) and its public health partners.