Unintentional poisoning is a developing public health problem in the U.S., with deaths due to unintentional poisoning (or “overdose”) increasing 145% between 1999 and 2007. Prescription opioid-related overdoses have accounted for much of this increase. There have also been increases in both medical and non-medical use of prescription opioids among adults and adolescents — both individuals who were prescribed opioids and individuals taking opioids non-medically. This study tracks the effectiveness of an intervention taking place in an emergency department.
