What you need to know
This dashboard provides a granular look at opioid-related incidents reported by EMS. This dashboard documents all opioid-related emergency medical service events in Massachusetts, defined as 911 calls in which opioids are involved; not all events are clinical overdoses and not all are nonfatal. The dashboard includes a range of data points, including the number of opioid-related incidents reported by EMS providers and the number of naloxone administrations. The data is broken down by geographic region, EMS service, patient demographics, and other factors, allowing users to identify trends and patterns in opioid use and overdose.
Information about these data
The data in this report is separated into standard calendar quarters: Q1 (January, February, March), Q2 (April, May, June), Q3 (July, August, September), and Q4 (October, November, December)
The report contains a significant amount of runs where race and ethnicity are reported as unknown. Incomplete data fields are a barrier to accurate data analysis. DPH is currently working with all EMS providers to improve the quality and completeness of these data especially with respect to opioid overdose incidents.
Case definition for opioid-related incidents and severity categories (dead on arrival (of opioid overdose), acute opioid overdose, opioid intoxicated, opioid withdrawal, and other opioid-related incident) are documented in the publication cited below.
Relevant Sources: Jones, K., Bernson, D., Fillo, K. T., Bettano, A.L. (2023). Redefining and categorizing emergency medical service opioid‐related incidents in Massachusetts. Addiction