Online Program

Integrating and Utilizing Diverse Data in Tennessee's Public Health Response to the Opioid Overdose Epidemic (306622)

Keywords: opioid, overdose, prescribing, data integration, public health

Tennessee sits at the epicenter of the opioid overdose epidemic with one of the highest rates of drug overdose deaths and opioid prescribing in the country. The epidemic has evolved rapidly; where high overdose numbers were once primarily driven by opioid overprescribing, they are now as likely to be caused by illicit fentanyl and heroin, and stimulants represent a rising threat. Officials and the public seek a more compassionate approach than the law enforcement-driven responses of the past. The complicated and rapidly shifting nature of this epidemic requires a flexible, data-informed response from public health. To meet the state’s complex data needs, the TN Department of Health has established a system that incorporates data from a diverse range of sources, including vital and hospital records, prescription records, and law enforcement, among others. Dr. Tyndall will discuss the impetus and challenges of building TN’s data system and the issues it has been built to address. The response to the overdose epidemic relies not only on the integration of data, but the careful application of analysis, visualization, and data dissemination to provide a basis for well-informed action.