Abstract
Context: Assessing temporal changes in the recorded diagnostic rates, incidence proportions, and health outcomes of substance-related disorders (SRD) can inform public health policymakers in reducing harms associated with alcohol and other drugs. Objective: To report the annual and cumulative recorded diagnostic rates and incidence proportions of SRD, as well as mortality rate ratios (MRRs) by cause of death among this group in Canada, according to their province of residence. Methods: Analyses were performed on linked administrative health databases (AHD; physician claims, hospitalizations, and vital statistics) in five Canadian provinces (Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, Québec, and Nova Scotia). Canadians 12 years and older and registered for their provincial healthcare coverage were included. The International Classification of Diseases (ICD-9 or ICD-10 codes) was used for case identification of SRD from April 2001 to March 2018. Results: During the study period, the annual recorded SRD diagnostic rates increased in Alberta (2001–2002: 8.0‰; 2017–2018: 12.8‰), Ontario (2001–2002: 11.5‰; 2017–2018: 14.4‰), and Nova Scotia (2001–2002: 6.4‰; 2017–2018: 12.7‰), but remained stable in Manitoba (2001–2002: 5.5‰; 2017–2018: 5.4‰) and Québec (2001–2002 and 2017–2018: 7.5‰). Cumulative recorded SRD diagnostic rates increased steadily for all provinces. Recorded incidence proportions increased significantly in Alberta (2001–2002: 4.5‰; 2017–2018: 5.0‰) and Nova Scotia (2001–2002: 3.3‰; 2017–2018: 3.8‰), but significantly decreased in Ontario (2001–2002: 6.2‰; 2017–2018: 4.7‰), Québec (2001–2002: 4.1‰; 2017–2018: 3.2‰) and Manitoba (2001–2002: 2.7‰; 2017–2018: 2.0‰). For almost all causes of death, a higher MRR was found among individuals with recorded SRD than in the general population. The causes of death in 2015–2016 with the highest MRR for SRD individuals were SRD, suicide, and non-suicide trauma in Alberta, Ontario, Manitoba, and Québec. Discussion: Linked AHD covering almost the entire population can be useful to monitor the medical service trends of SRD and, therefore, guide health services planning in Canadian provinces.
| Translated title of the contribution | Measuring Substance-Related Disorders Using Canadian Administrative Health Databanks: Interprovincial Comparisons of Recorded Diagnostic Rates, Incidence Proportions and Mortality Rate Ratios |
|---|---|
| Original language | French |
| Pages (from-to) | 117-129 |
| Number of pages | 13 |
| Journal | Canadian Journal of Psychiatry |
| Volume | 67 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Feb 2022 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:The authors thank Victoria Massamba, Simon Chen, Abigail Amartey, Kinwah Fung, and Sima Gandhi for their contribution to this study. The authors acknowledge the Manitoba Centre for Health Policy for use of data contained in the Manitoba Population Research Data Repository (HIPC#2018/2019-52). DJA holds a clinical scientist career award from the Fonds de Recherche du Québec (FRQS). Gareth Hopkin has previously worked at the Institute of Health Economics and has received grants from the Government of Alberta outside of the submitted work. The authors acknowledge the support of the Quebec Network on Suicide, Mood Disorders, and Associated Disorders through their services and public health platform.
Funding Information:
The authors disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This work was supported by Health Canada’s Substance Use and Addiction Program.
Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2021.
ASJC Scopus Subject Areas
- Psychiatry and Mental health
PubMed: MeSH publication types
- Journal Article
- Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
