In Connecticut, when EMS responds to an opioid overdose, after they have taken the patient to the hospital, accepted a refusal, or presumed a patient dead, they are required to contact the state poison control center and answer a series of questions about the overdose.
The program, known as SWORD (Statewide Opioid Reporting Directive), that went statewide on June 1, 2019, recently released the results of its first year of data collecting.
Here are the highlights:
There were 4,505 suspected overdoses including 337 fatal overdoses, reported by EMS to the SWORD program between June 1, 2019 and May 31, 2020.
Males accounted for 74% of the overdoses; females 26%.
People between the ages of 25 and 39 were most likely to overdose.
When the drug of exposure was known, 87% of the overdoses were due to heroin or fentanyl versus 11% for prescription opioid and 2% for methadone or suboxone.
Bystanders gave naloxone in 15% of the overdose cases where 911 was called.
88% of overdose victims were transported to the hospital.
2% of overdose incidents involved multiple patients.
11% of overdoses occurred in motor vehicles.
There were 131 “spike alerts” generated.
109 public health and public safety agencies are registered in Connecticut to view the data.
The full report can be found here:
For more information on the program, check here:
Here’s a video explaining how the program works:
