ArticleAnnals of medicine2022
The changing epidemiology of opioid overdose in Baltimore, Maryland, 2012-2017: insights from emergency medical services.
Article in Annals of medicine, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed, 9 citations in OpenAlex.
- Illicit drug supply, naloxone availability, and overdose mortality in the fentanyl era: a systematic review.Health affairs scholar · 2026Review
- The Experiences and Attitudes of Rural Black People who Use Drugs.Journal of racial and ethnic health disparities · 2026Article
- A Cross-Sectional Evaluation of City Firefighters' Exposure to Potentially Traumatic Events During Opioid Overdose Responses and Mental Health.Journal of workplace behavioral health · 2025Article
- Time-space characteristics of emergency medical service attendance and layperson naloxone administration during non-fatal opioid overdoses in Rhode Island: A retrospective, event-level analysis.Annals of epidemiology · 2025Article
- Enhancing drug checking services for supply monitoring: perspectives on implementation in syringe service programs in the USA.Harm reduction journal · 2024Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
introductionAn estimated 100,306 people died from an overdose from May 2020 to April 2021. Emergency Medical Services (EMS) are often the first responder to opioid overdose, and EMS encounter records can provide granular epidemiologic data on opioid overdose. This study describes the demographic, temporal, and geographic epidemiology of suspected opioid overdose in Baltimore City using data from Baltimore City Fire Department EMS encounters with the administration of the opioid antagonist naloxone.
methodThe present analyses used patient encounter data from 2012 to 2017 from the Baltimore City Fire Department, the city's primary provider of EMS services. The analytic sample included patient encounters within the city that involved naloxone administration to patients 15 years of age or older (
resultsFrom 2012 to 2017, the annual number of EMS encounters with naloxone administrations approximately doubled every 2 years, and the temporal pattern of naloxone administration was similar to the pattern of fatal opioid-related overdoses. For most census tracts, incidence rates significantly increased over time. Population-based incidence of naloxone administration varied significantly by socio-demographic characteristics. Males, non-whites, and those 25-69 years of age had the highest incidence rates.
conclusionThe incidence of naloxone administration increased dramatically over the study period. Despite significant cross-sectional variation in incidence across demographically and geographically defined groups, there were significant proportional increases in incidence rates, consistent with fatal overdose rates over the period. This study demonstrated the value of EMS data for understanding the local epidemiology of opioid-related overdose. Key MessagesPatterns of EMS encounters with naloxone administration appear to be an excellent proxy for patterns of opioid-related overdoses based on the consistency of fatal overdose rates over time.EMS plays a central role in preventing fatal opioid-related overdoses through the administration of naloxone, provision of other emergency services, and transportation to medical facilities.EMS encounters with naloxone administration could also be used to evaluate the impact of overdose prevention interventions and public health services.
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