Abstract
Background:
The Covid-19 pandemic has been ongoing for three years and has been associated with an increased risk of stress and mental health events, leading to fatal consequences.
Aim:
This study aims to investigate the association between social isolation and opioid overdose while considering the effect of age, gender, and race/ethnicity variations.
Methods:
Data on opioid overdose-related emergency room (ER) admissions with ICD-10 codes were obtained from the EHR database (ORACLE Cerner©). The data were analyzed using time series analytics, and three time periods were categorized into three stages based on control measurements during the pandemic from 2019-2022. Measures of opioid overdose included daily count of opioid overdose in emergency admissions, opioid overdose-related deaths, and percentage of opioid overdose in emergency admissions.
Results:
The rates of ER visits related to opioid use significantly increased during the pandemic after Covid-19 measures were implemented, compared to the period before the pandemic (P<0.05). Opioid-related causes accounted for approximately 1 in 100 ER visits. The percentage of ER admissions due to opioid overdose also increased during the three stages of the pandemic, according to time-series analysis (P<0.05). Furthermore, health disparities across race/ethnicity were observed in ER admissions due to opioid overdose, with minorities being significantly higher compared to others.
Conclusion:
Long-term social distancing measures, including school closures, contributed to social isolation, which has been associated with increased opioid overdose rates. This highlights the urgent need for public health interventions to address the opioid epidemic, which was already a significant issue before the pandemic.
The Covid-19 pandemic has been ongoing for three years and has been associated with an increased risk of stress and mental health events, leading to fatal consequences.
Aim:
This study aims to investigate the association between social isolation and opioid overdose while considering the effect of age, gender, and race/ethnicity variations.
Methods:
Data on opioid overdose-related emergency room (ER) admissions with ICD-10 codes were obtained from the EHR database (ORACLE Cerner©). The data were analyzed using time series analytics, and three time periods were categorized into three stages based on control measurements during the pandemic from 2019-2022. Measures of opioid overdose included daily count of opioid overdose in emergency admissions, opioid overdose-related deaths, and percentage of opioid overdose in emergency admissions.
Results:
The rates of ER visits related to opioid use significantly increased during the pandemic after Covid-19 measures were implemented, compared to the period before the pandemic (P<0.05). Opioid-related causes accounted for approximately 1 in 100 ER visits. The percentage of ER admissions due to opioid overdose also increased during the three stages of the pandemic, according to time-series analysis (P<0.05). Furthermore, health disparities across race/ethnicity were observed in ER admissions due to opioid overdose, with minorities being significantly higher compared to others.
Conclusion:
Long-term social distancing measures, including school closures, contributed to social isolation, which has been associated with increased opioid overdose rates. This highlights the urgent need for public health interventions to address the opioid epidemic, which was already a significant issue before the pandemic.
| Original language | American English |
|---|---|
| Journal | American Journal of Public Health |
| State | Published - 7 Nov 2023 |