Resources

Alberta Opioid Response Surveillance Report: First Nations Peoples in Alberta

May 29, 2024

Disclaimer
This surveillance report presents emergency department visits, hospitalizations, prescription drug dispensing from community pharmacies, emergency medical services, and mortality data associated with opioids and other drugs in Alberta. Data sources are updated and verified at differing time periods.
Results are subject to change based on differences in data submission schedules and updates from the various data systems. Data may change in later reporting as it is submitted by the medical examiner, health facilities, supervised consumption services, and pharmacies. Recent data may be less complete due to delays in data submission.
The number of drug overdose deaths related to fentanyl/opioids may change (including increases/decreases in previous numbers) as certification of deaths can take six months or longer, and certification of cause of death may lead to a change in classification.
Apparent deaths: Preliminary evidence suggests that the death was most likely a drug overdose.
Confirmed deaths: A Medical Examiner has determined the cause of death based on all available evidence, and listed the cause of death on a death certificate (including the substances directly involved in the overdose).
Fentanyl related poisoning deaths: Deaths in which fentanyl or a fentanyl analogue was identified as a cause of death (these may also have involved non-fentanyl opioids).
Non-fentanyl opioid related poisoning deaths: Deaths in which an opioid (not fentanyl or a fentanyl analogue) was identified as a cause of death. Due to the added complexity of non-fentanyl opioid related poisoning deaths, there is a three-month delay in identifying these preliminary (apparent) cases for surveillance purposes compared to fentanyl related deaths.
Manner of death is determined by Alberta’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. Manner of death may be either accidental (i.e., unintentional), suicide (i.e., intentional), homicide, or undetermined. This report presents accidental and undetermined deaths grouped together as “unintentional deaths”. Suicide and homicide deaths are not included in this report.

Open Document

Focus AREA:
Community Supports & Services Lethbridge

Region:
Lethbridge