The Drug-Involved Mortality (DIM) data system gives detailed information on drug-related deaths in the United States. It enriches the National Vital Statistics System mortality (NVSS-M) data with the prescription and illicit drugs mentioned on death certificates, for residents of the 50 states and the District of Columbia. The restricted files are available to researchers through CDC's Research Data Center (RDC).
How it's built
- DIM contains ICD-10 codes and can be combined with demographic and geographic characteristics.
- For the 2010–2017 files, predetermined restricted variables were created by examining the literal text of three death-certificate fields:
- Part I — cause of death;
- Part II — significant conditions contributing to death;
- Box 43 — a verbatim description of how the injury occurred.
- DIM does not allow researchers to examine the literal text itself.
The three linked files
Each data year has three SAS datasets, linkable through a decedent_ID variable that is unique within the year:
| File | What each record is |
|---|---|
| Demographics | One record for every death of a U.S. resident, with demographic, geographic and cause-of-death variables from NVSS-M |
| Mention-level | One record per substance mention found in death-certificate text, mostly yes/no flags. The substances match a search-term list (not released) developed with the Food and Drug Administration |
| Decedent-level | One record per person with at least one substance mention, counting mentions of each substance. Substances are classified by specificity — specific substances, drug or substance classes, and exposures not otherwise specified |
Versions
The decedent- and mention-level files come in versions, dated by when the text was processed. Each version improves the search terms and the words and phrases used to judge the context of a mention; the demographics file doesn't change.
- Use the latest version for all analyses, including replications and extensions of earlier work.
- Older versions can reproduce past analyses, or extend them to new data years, but are discouraged for new analyses.
Applying
- Your application must name and justify each demographic variable you request; the RDC provides only the variables in your approved application.
- Request the DIM documentation before applying, including your research question, an abstract and the DIM files and years you need.
Sources
Based on "Vital Statistics: Drug Involved Mortality," Research Data Center, National Center for Health Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; a work of the United States government in the public domain.
Licence: CC0 1.0 (public domain) · Adapted from www.cdc.gov
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