Invited Commentary on JAMA Article Assails Lack of U.S. Government Investment in Data to Better Respond to Opioid-Related Death Crisis
Nearly half a million people in the United States have died from opioid-related deaths in the last five years, but the U.S. government has not launched a single new primary data collection effort to monitor the nature and extent of opioid supply or use.
That is a main point of an invited commentary in JAMA Health Forum called “Improving Opioid Use Estimates Through Multiple Data Sources.” Written by Jonathan P. Caulkins, the H. Guyford Stever University Professor of Operations Research and Public Policy at Carnegie Mellon University's Heinz College, and two researchers at the University of Maryland, the commentary is a response to a study that also appears in JAMA Health Forum.
“What is most shocking is that more than 10 years after opioid-related deaths began rising, official national data collection concerning this phenomenon is one general population survey that long predates this crisis,” says Caulkins. “We need more credible and reliable estimates of prevalence at different levels of intensity, as well as measures of quantity consumed and expenditures."
In the commentary, Caulkins and his coauthors also note that the study they reviewed indirectly reveals just how much more deadly fentanyl is than heroin. Those reporting any past-year use of illicitly manufactured fentanyl now appear to suffer an annual risk of death by overdose that is comparable to the average for high-frequency heroin users in the past.
The commentary is in response to an article by Mireille Jacobson and David Powell. In that piece, researchers reported on the use of illegally manufacturer fentanyl, using an alternative approach to estimate prevalence that featured a professional online survey panel stratified to match national demographics.
Their findings suggest that official estimates of fentanyl use are likely far too low and that abuse of prescription painkillers continues to be an underlying contributor to the current crisis.
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About Heinz College of Information Systems and Public Policy
The Heinz College of Information Systems and Public Policy is home to two internationally recognized graduate-level institutions at Carnegie Mellon University: the School of Information Systems and Management and the School of Public Policy and Management. This unique colocation combined with its expertise in analytics set Heinz College apart in the areas of cybersecurity, health care, the future of work, smart cities, and arts & entertainment. In 2016, INFORMS named Heinz College the #1 academic program for Analytics Education. For more information, please visit www.heinz.cmu.edu.