Ontario Opioid Indicator Tool - Technical Appendix Contents What’s New in the November 2022 Update 2

However, since the ODPRN’s initial launch of this tool in 2018, the landscape of the overdose crisis in Ontario has shifted, with an increasing recognition that the majority of opioid-related harms have been associated with the unregulated opioid supply, which is predominantly made up of fentanyl. [...] To better meet the needs of the current crisis, the tool was updated in August 2022 with new indicators that focus less on the dispensing of opioids for pain, and more on opioids used for the treatment of opioid use disorder, as well as complications arising from opioid-related harms. [...] We used data from the NMS to present trends in the number and rate of people dispensed opioid prescriptions, the number and rate of people receiving high daily dose opioid prescriptions, the volume of opioid prescriptions dispensed, the number and rate of people with opioid agonist therapy (OAT) use, and the number and rate of prescribers for OAT. [...] Data on the dissemination of community-provided naloxone doses (provided through the Ontario Naloxone Program), straight stems (provided by the Ontario Harm Reduction Distribution Program), and needles (provided by the Needle Exchange Program) were obtained from the Ontario Ministry of Health. [...] Ontario Ministry of Health Data Data on the provision of community-based naloxone, straight stems and needles were provided by the Ontario Ministry of Health through the Ontario Naloxone Program, Ontario Harm Reduction Distribution Program, and Needle Exchange Program, respectfully.