Skip to main content
logo

2017 Annual Meeting

September 12–14, 2017

Aurora, Colorado

The links below contained detailed information for the upcoming 2017 Safe States Alliance Annual Meeting, taking place September 12-14, 2017 in Aurora, Colorado.

Please note:

Using Poison Control Center and Prescription Drug Monitoring Program Data to Inform Poisoning Prevention

Wednesday, September 13, 2017 at 4:15 PM–5:30 PM MDT
Aurora Ballroom 1
Learning Objectives

In this session, participants will: 

  1. Be able to discuss promising practices to meaningfully use data from Poison Control Center calls to enhance prescription drug poisoning prevention efforts. 

  2. Translate epidemiological methods from concept to practice by comparing trends in opioid-specific poisoning calls to prescription opioids filled.
Statement of Purpose

The Kansas University Medical Center Poison Control Center (KUMC-PCC) participates in the National Poison Control Center system and receives calls from residents with a Kansas listed area code and other locations on a daily basis. These calls represent inquiries and poisonings. Since area codes are used to direct callers to a poison control center, this data is comparable to prescription drug monitoring program that also identifies patients using existing phone numbers. The purpose of this work was to enhance prescription opioid poisoning prevention efforts in the state of Kansas by identifying specific prescription opioid with the highest risk for potential misuse or poisoning.

Methods/Approach

Poison Control Center data were requested through an existing partnership between the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, SafeKids Kansas, and the Kansas University Medical Center Poison Control Center (KUMC-PCC). Rate for each indicator were computed using the 2015 Vintage county level single-year of age bridged-race population estimates and the U.S. 2000 Standard Population. A weighted log-linear regression for comparing overlapping age-adjusted rates was used to compare the association in trends from 2010 to 2015 [2]. 

[1]  Walters KA, Li Y, Tiwari RC, Zou Z. A weighted-least-squares estimation approach to comparing trends in age-adjusted cancer rates across overlapping regions. Journal of data science: JDS. 2011 Oct 1;8(4):631.

Results

On average, trends in age-adjusted prescription poisoning control center calls were associated with trends in the rate of opioids filled for major prescription opioid categories. On average, there was a 1% increase in opioid related poisoning call for approximately every new 1,500 Kansas patient who filled an opioid per year (Chi-square = 57.98, p<0.0001). The association between trends for Hydrocodone, Oxymorphone, Oxycodone, and Fentanyl prescription were highly dissimiliar when compared to other opioid prescription drugs (p<0.0253). 

Conclusions & Significance to the Field

Poison Control Center calls and PDMPs both use telephone numbers to link someone to a geographic location and collects information related to the generic and brand name of a drug. This means both surveillance databases can be compared through correlated statistics to identify characteristics of prescription drugs that might help to 'rule out' those drugs not related to known harm. The lack of poisoning calls for several opioid prescriptions over the five year period suggests is expected. In Kansas, most deaths from drug poisonings are due to semi-synthetic opioids, such as Hydrocodone and Oxycodone.

 

Presenters

Fan Xiong, MPH, BS, Kansas Board of Pharmacy
Biography

Mr. Fan Xiong graduated from the University Of Georgia College of Public Health in May of 2015. He is also a graduating candidate of the Class of XIII as a CSTE/CDC Fellow in Injury -- Drug Overdose. He has worked in prescription drug epidemiology in Kansas for almost two years and was previously a member of the University Of Georgia College of Public Health Cancer Working Group. He has presented as a subject matter expert at local, state, and national meetings, workgroups, and conferences related to prescription drug. In his free time, he likes to watch films with his wife, play chess, and he enjoys tackling difficult mathematical and philosophical questions.

Co-Authors

Primary Contact

Fan Xiong, MPH, BS
Loading…