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Substance Use and Addiction Medicine

Trends in Drug Overdose Mortality Rates in Kentucky, 2019-2020

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

1 Credit CME

JAMA Network Open

Published Online: July 13, 2021

Research Letter

Article Information and Disclosures

Svetla Slavova, PhD^1,2;

Dana Quesinberry, DrPH^1,3;

Sarah Hargrove, MS¹;

Peter Rock, MPH⁴;

Candace Brancato, MS²;

Patricia R. Freeman, PhD⁵;

Sharon L. Walsh, PhD^6,7

Author Affiliations

¹Kentucky Injury Prevention and Research Center, University of Kentucky, Lexington
²Department of Biostatistics, University of Kentucky, Lexington
³Department of Health Management and Policy, University of Kentucky, Lexington
⁴Center for Clinical and Translational Science, University of Kentucky, Lexington
⁵Department of Pharmacy Practice and Science, University of Kentucky, Lexington
⁶Department of Behavioral Science, University of Kentucky, Lexington
⁷Center on Drug and Alcohol Research, University of Kentucky, Lexington

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In April 2020, early signals from emergency medical services data raised concerns for increasing numbers of drug overdoses during the emerging COVID-19 pandemic in Kentucky.¹ Subsequently, provisional national data for the 12-month period ending May 2020 showed accelerated drug overdose deaths, resulting in a Health Alert Network Advisory calling for expanded prevention efforts.² This cross-sectional study evaluates the changes in drug overdose mortality rates for Kentucky residents between 2019 and 2020.

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Article Information

Accepted for Publication: May 5, 2021.

Published: July 13, 2021. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.16391

Open Access: This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the CC-BY License. © 2021 Slavova S et al. JAMA Network Open.

Corresponding Author: Svetla Slavova, PhD, Department of Biostatistics, University of Kentucky, 760 Press Ave, 260 Healthy Kentucky Research Bldg, Lexington, KY 40536 (ssslav2@uky.edu).

Author Contributions: Dr Slavova 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.

Concept and design: Slavova, Quesinberry, Hargrove, Walsh.

Acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data: Slavova, Hargrove, Rock, Brancato, Freeman.

Drafting of the manuscript: Slavova, Rock, Brancato, Freeman, Walsh.

Critical revision of the manuscript for important intellectual content: Slavova, Quesinberry, Hargrove, Freeman.

Statistical analysis: Slavova, Rock, Brancato.

Obtained funding: Slavova, Quesinberry.

Administrative, technical, or material support: Hargrove, Walsh.

Supervision: Slavova.

Conflict of Interest Disclosures: None reported.

Funding/Support: This study was supported, in part, by funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (grant 6 NU17CE924971-02-01) awarded to the Kentucky Injury Prevention and Research Center in its role of bona fide agent for the Kentucky Department for Public Health and by the US Food and Drug Administration (grant HHSF223201810183C) under Broad Agency Announcement No. 17-00123.

Role of the Funder/Sponsor: The funders 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.

Disclaimer: The contents of this article are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Department of Health and Human Services, or the US Food and Drug Administration.

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.