Overdose prevention
starts with data
Overdose Measures Matter offers a set of recommended indicators to help communities collect and use data for overdose prevention
These indicators are designed to help communities evaluate the impact of their programs, advance health in every community, particularly underserved communities and those at the highest risk and address the structural and underlying barriers to overdose related health outcomes for everyone. With these indicators, organizations can work to:
Encourage partners to collaborate, collect and use data
Tailor overdose prevention interventions
Measure progress toward fair and just outcomes
Overdose Measures Matter is intended for data collection on all substances, not just opioids.
What are indicators?
Indicators are tools that help us measure progress. Indicator data can be numbers, such as counts or percents, or descriptions that help us understand the progress of a project or program.
You can use indicators to assess or understand issues, events or change and to determine whether a program is achieving its goals. Learn more about numerical (quantitative) and descriptive (qualitative) indicators.
Indicators, and the measures associated with them, not only provide insights about what or how much of something is happening, but also for whom and under what conditions.
—CDC Program Evaluation Framework, 2024
The indicators are organized in the following categories:
- HARM REDUCTION
- HEALTH ACCESS
- STIGMA REDUCTION
- LINKAGE TO CARE
- PARTNERSHIPS
- PEER WORKFORCE SUPPORT
Learn more about the indicator categories.
These indicators were developed based on feedback from diverse groups, ensuring they would be practical for people implementing overdose prevention and services. To explore additional indicators compiled by other experts, visit the Resources section.
Who is this website for?
Anyone working in overdose prevention is encouraged to explore this site.
You may belong to one or more of three broad user groups:
program
implementers
You might be a community-based organization or health department who seeks overdose prevention indicators to:
- Understand the needs of the people you serve
- Assess your programs, services and interventions
- Create more effective, data-informed efforts
- Identify targeted and strategic responses
- Apply for funding or service expansion
community
conveners
You might be a government agency, community organization, health department or coalition-leader who seeks overdose prevention indicators to:
- Understand community needs and gaps in service reach
- Assess jurisdiction-wide efforts
- Share data and collaborate with people who use drugs and local partners to coordinate and advance efforts
- Promote aligned and strategic approaches
- Apply for funding or service expansion
funders
You might be a philanthropic organization, health department or government agency who needs to use overdose indicators to:
- Understand program effectiveness; identify opportunities to provide additional funding or resources to meet needs
- Assess a community’s overdose response and measure implementation and outcomes
- Identify ways to ease reporting requirements for grant recipients
- Promote transparency and accountability for your recipients
- Build and share evidence-informed overdose prevention programs and policies
Promote fair and just outcomes in overdose prevention
Although this website includes guidance on recommended indicators for common use and suggests indicator groupings, users should select indicators based on the primary needs of their organization. Consider indicators that are most meaningful to your programs, whether they appear on this website or elsewhere.