ArticleForensic science, medicine, and pathology2023
The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on drug and poison-related deaths in Gold Coast, Australia.
Article in Forensic science, medicine, and pathology, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- Alcohol- and drug-related mortality in Brazil: an ecological and population-based study on changes observed during the COVID-19 pandemic.Lancet regional health. Americas · 2026Article
- Gabapentinoid detection in coronial casework in Gold Coast, Australia: a 5-year retrospective study.Forensic science, medicine, and pathology · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionCOVID-19 is postulated to impact drug- and poison-related deaths. America has reported an increased in drug-related deaths, whereas Australia has reported a decline. Regional studies are scant and may not mirror national data. Characterising drug and poison-related deaths during COVID-19 at a regional level would inform local interventions and policies on the current and future pandemics.
methodsA 4-year retrospective study from January 1, 2018, to December 31, 2019 (pre-COVID-19 pandemic) and from January 1, 2020, to December 31, 2021 (COVID-19 pandemic) of all drug and poison-related deaths admitted to the Gold Coast University Hospital under Coronial investigation.
resultsDrug and poison-related deaths increased in both the proportion and absolute numbers before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. There was no statistical difference in age, sex, location of death, manner of death and classification of drugs and poison implicated.
conclusionsAlthough there is an increase in drug and poison-related deaths, the overall demographic and pattern have not changed. Further studies to account for the variation may enable implementation of targeted public health interventions to address the burden of related deaths in regional settings in the context of future pandemics.
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