Death certificate coding can support surveillance across many years. The amount of detail in the underlying code determines which drug-specific claims those data can support.
What the national analysis grouped together
A U.S. study analyzed 21,167 deaths from 2000 to 2018 with overdose coded as the underlying cause and T42.6 or T42.7 among the multiple causes. The categories included Z-drugs and gabapentinoids. The authors assessed trends in these grouped codes and examined other coded substances, including benzodiazepines.
What to obtain when the identity matters
A grouped code alone does not identify zolpidem, gabapentin, or another individual drug. It also cannot tell a reviewer which drug the examiner considered contributory in a mixed exposure. Obtain the full death certificate and toxicology report, and trace each substance to the examiner’s narrative. Use the surveillance figures to describe coded deaths at the same level of specificity as the study.
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