Published Date: December 23, 2020 • Data Collected Date: 2019-2020
The Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN) is a nationwide public health surveillance system administered by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA’s) Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality (CBHSQ). In 2018, SAMHSA reinstated DAWN after a 7-year hiatus. As of October 15, 2020, data are being abstracted from 49 hospitals - directly from hospital electronic health records. DAWN captures data on Emergency Department (ED) visits related to recent substance use and misuse, such as alcohol use, illicit drug use, suicide attempts, and nonmedical use of pharmaceuticals. This is a preliminary report (April 2019-October 2020) of data that will be used to monitor trends, demographic and geographic characteristics, and outcomes of ED visits. The report provides only preliminary results that are not generalizable to the US, therefore, caution must be exercised in interpreting the data presented here. DAWN’s design will yield surveillance data on an ongoing basis and has the potential to produce national estimates. This initiative will serve as an early warning system for the emergence of new and novel psychoactive substances.
In addition to this report, there are five brief DAWN profiles that cover:
