Victorian Overdose Deaths: The Role of Pharmaceutical Drugs and Drug Combinations
The impact of pharmaceutical overdose on individuals, families, the community and government is substantial, and a growing issue of concern, particularly given evidence of the rising use and harms associated with pharmaceutical drugs. A number of key areas regarding the prevalence, characteristics and correlates of overdose deaths have been explored in this study, with findings that have important policy implications.
This project, involved the examination of Victorian overdose deaths that occurred between 2011 and 2013 where one or more pharmaceutical drugs were determined to be contributory, is a collaborative project between Turning Point’s Population Health Research Program and the Coroners Court of Victoria (CCOV) and is funded by the Victorian Law Enforcement Fund.
This report represents a further development in the CCOV’s and Turning Point’s efforts to address pharmaceutical drug harms and it can be used to identify new opportunities for death prevention.