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U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion

Reduce emergency department visits for medication overdoses in children under 5 years — MPS‑01 Data Methodology and Measurement

On this page:  About the National Data  |  Methodology  |  History

About the National Data

Data

Data Sources:  Bridged-race Population Estimates, CDC/NCHS and Census; National Electronic Injury Surveillance System - Cooperative Adverse Drug Event Surveillance Project (NEISS-CADES), CDC, CPSC, and FDA

Baseline: 25.6 estimated emergency department visits for medication overdoses per 10,000 children under 5 years occurred in 2016-17

Target: 16.6 per 10,000

Numerator
Estimated number of emergency department visits for medication overdoses among children under 5 years.
Denominator
Estimated number of children in the U.S. under 5 years.
Target-setting method
Minimal statistical significance
Target-setting method details
Minimal statistical significance, assuming the same standard error for the target as for the baseline.
Target-setting method justification
Trend data were evaluated for this objective, but it was not possible to project a target because projected values assumed a linear trend, which was not a valid approach as objective progress would be expectedly asymptotic (negative rates are not possible). The standard error was used to calculate a target based on minimal statistical significance, assuming the same standard error for the target as for the baseline. This method was used because it was a statistically significant improvement from the baseline.

Methodology

Methodology notes

Annual national estimates of Emergency Department (ED) visits for medication overdoses among children <5 years of age are calculated using NEISS-CADES. Population rates of ED visits are calculated using the U.S. Census. To calculate the numerator: Overdoses include ED visits due to administration of greater amounts of medication than recommended by a caregiver or ingestion of a known or unknown amount of medication by a young child by himself or herself without caregiver supervision. CENSUS NOTE FOR MULTIPLE DATA YEARS: Population denominators for emergency department visit rates are calculated based on sums of the bridged-race estimates of the U.S. resident populations for each of the data years involved (e.g., the denominator of a rate for 2016-2017 combined is the sum of the population estimates for 2016 and 2017). For census years (e.g. 2016), population counts enumerated as of July 1 are used. Intercensal population estimates are used in rate calculations for the years between censuses (e.g. the 2000-2009 intercensal estimates are based on the 2000 and 2010 censuses).

History

Comparable HP2020 objective
Retained, which includes core objectives that are continuing from Healthy People 2020 with no change in measurement.