Observational studyCMAJ open
Opioid-related emergency department visits and deaths after a harm-reduction intervention: a retrospective observational cohort time series analysis.
Observational study in CMAJ open. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
6 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Part 4: Systems of Care: 2025 American Heart Association Guidelines for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Emergency Cardiovascular Care.Circulation · 2025Guideline
- Supervised consumption sites and population-level overdose mortality: a systematic review of recent evidence, 2016-2024.Health promotion and chronic disease prevention in Canada : research, policy and practice · 2025Pooled it
- County by county estimation of possible deaths averted, infections averted, and cost savings of overdose prevention centers in the United States from July 2019-June 2025.The International journal on drug policy · 2026Article
- County by county estimation of possible deaths averted, infections averted, and cost savings of overdose prevention centers in the United States from July 2019-June 2025.medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences · 2026Article
- Economic evaluation of the effect of needle and syringe programs on skin, soft tissue, and vascular infections in people who inject drugs: a microsimulation modelling approach.Harm reduction journal · 2024Article
- Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundTo date, there has been little research on the effect of safe consumption site and community-based naloxone programs on regional opioid-related emergency department visits and deaths. We sought to determine the impact of these interventions on regional opioid-related emergency department visit and death rates in the province of Alberta.
methodsWe used a retrospective observational design, via interrupted time series analysis, to assess municipal opioid-related emergency department visit volume and opioid-related deaths (defined by poisoning and opioid use disorder). We compared rates before and after program implementation in individual Alberta municipalities and province-wide after safe consumption site (March 2018 to October 2018) and community-based naloxone (January 2016) program implementation.
resultsA total of 24 107 emergency department visits and 2413 deaths were included in the study. After safe consumption site opening, we saw decreased opioid-related emergency department visits in Calgary (level change -22.7 [-20%] visits per month, 95% confidence interval [CI] -29.7 to -15.8) and Lethbridge (level change -8.8 [-50%] visits per month, 95% CI -11.7 to -5.9), and decreased deaths in Edmonton (level change -5.9 [-55%] deaths per month, 95% CI -8.9 to -2.9). We observed increased emergency department visits after community-based naloxone program implementation in urban Alberta (level change 38.9 [46%] visits, 95% CI 33.3 to 44.4). We also observed an increase in urban opioid-related deaths (level change 9.1 [40%] deaths, 95% CI 6.7 to 11.5).
interpretationThe results of this study suggest differences exist between municipalities employing similar interventions. Our results also suggest contextual variation; for example, illicit drug supply toxicity may modify the ability of a community-based naloxone program to prevent opioid overdose without a thorough public health response.
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