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Toxicology

Overdose-Related Cardiac Arrests Observed by Emergency Medical Services During the US COVID-19 Epidemic

Educational Objective
To identify the key insights or developments described in this article

1 Credit CME

JAMA Psychiatry

Published Online: December 3, 2020

Research Letter

Article Information and Disclosures

Joseph Friedman, MPH¹;

Leo Beletsky, JD, MPH²;

David L. Schriger, MD, MPH³

Author Affiliations

¹Medical Scientist Training Program, University of California, Los Angeles
²Department of Health Sciences, Health in Justice Action Lab, Northeastern University School of Law, Boston, Massachusetts
³Department of Emergency Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles

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The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic took grip of the US 2 decades into an accelerating overdose crisis that caused more than 70 000 deaths in 2019 alone.¹ Front-line health care professionals and officials have sounded the alarm that the social and economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic may impede efforts to flatten the overdose curve.¹^,2 However, the state databases tracking overdose mortality often have long lags that stymie timely analysis and response.³ Emergency medical services (EMS) data provide a novel source of near-real-time information to track epidemiological trends during the COVID-19 pandemic.⁴^,5 We leverage a large, national EMS database to characterize emergent trends in overdose mortality fueled by the pandemic.

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Article Information

Accepted for Publication: November 12, 2020.

Published Online: December 3, 2020. doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2020.4218

Corresponding Author: Joseph Friedman, MPH, Medical Scientist Training Program, University of California, Los Angeles, B7-435, UCLA Semel Institute, PO Box 951759, Los Angeles, CA 90095 (josephfriedman@mednet.ucla.edu).

Author Contributions: Mr Friedman had full access to all of the data in the study and takes responsibility for the integrity of the data and the accuracy of the data analysis.

Study concept and design: Friedman, Schriger.

Acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data: All authors.

Drafting of the manuscript: Friedman, Beletsky.

Critical revision of the manuscript for important intellectual content: All authors.

Statistical analysis: Friedman, Schriger.

Administrative, technical, or material support: Friedman.

Study supervision: All authors.

Conflict of Interest Disclosures: None reported.

Funding/Support: Mr Friedman received support from the UCLA Medical Scientist Training Program (National Institute of General Medical Sciences training grant GM008042).

Role of the Funder/Sponsor: The funder had no role in the design and conduct of the study; collection, management, analysis, and interpretation of the data; preparation, review, or approval of the manuscript; and decision to submit the manuscript for publication.

AMA CME Accreditation Information

Credit Designation Statement: The American Medical Association designates this Journal-based CME activity activity for a maximum of 1.00  AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Successful completion of this CME activity, which includes participation in the evaluation component, enables the participant to earn up to:

1.00 Medical Knowledge MOC points in the American Board of Internal Medicine's (ABIM) Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program;;
1.00 Self-Assessment points in the American Board of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery’s (ABOHNS) Continuing Certification program;
1.00 MOC points in the American Board of Pediatrics’ (ABP) Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program;
1.00 Lifelong Learning points in the American Board of Pathology’s (ABPath) Continuing Certification program; and
1.00 credit toward the CME [and Self-Assessment requirements] of the American Board of Surgery’s Continuous Certification program

It is the CME activity provider's responsibility to submit participant completion information to ACCME for the purpose of granting MOC credit.