A new tool makes a wide range of data related to the current opioid crisis in Ontario available to the public, including information related to deaths due to overdose.
The Interactive Opioid Tracker, an online tool, is part of the commitment to accurate data collection as a part of the Strategy to Prevent Opioid Addiction and Overdose, announced in October 2016. Data from the interactive tool suggests that there has been a steady increase in the harms related to opioids, including a 94 percent increase in deaths since 2003. The tool has shown that the opioid problem is affecting a broad range of people across the province.
The information in the Interactive Opioid Tracker provides 10 years (2003-2016) of opioid related emergency department visits, hospitalizations, and deaths in Ontario. The goal of the tracker is to assist health care workers and policy makers better understand the current situation and allow for targeted interventions at both a provincial and local level.
To view the Opioid Interactive Tool visit the Public Health Ontario website.