National Drug-Related Deaths Index (NDRDI)

The National Drug-Related Deaths Index (NDRDI) records cases of death by drug and/or alcohol poisoning (such as those due to accidental or intentional overdose), and deaths among people who use drugs and those who are alcohol dependent (such as those due to hepatitis C and HIV).

The information is used to develop health and social service responses aimed at reducing the number of deaths. 

 

NDRDI data collection

Staff from the NDRDI collect data from Coroner Service files relating to all deaths among alcohol dependent persons, all deaths where a history of drug use was recorded or where drug or alcohol misuse was implicated in the death. Data is also collected from The General Mortality Register (through the Central Statistics Office), The Central Treatment List and the Hospital In-Patient Enquiry (HIPE) scheme.  

The information collected includes:

  • administrative details;
  • demographic details;
  • socio-economic information;
  • problem drug use at the time of death;
  • risk behaviours;
  • drug treatment history;
  • details about the death itself; and
  • medical diagnosis;

This information is used to define accurately the extent of the problem, to inform policy and to assess the effectiveness of responses aimed at preventing deaths from drug or alcohol misuse.

 

NDRDI Steering Committee

The NDRDI Steering Committee provides advice to the researchers on the development of the data collection protocol, the methodology for interpreting inconclusive cases, and pathology and toxicology.

Mr Brendan Sheehy
Dept. of Justice & Equality
Department of Health

Mr Tadhg Fallon
Drugs Policy and Social Inclusion
Department of Health

 

Dr Linda Mulligan
Assistant State Pathologist
Dept. of Forensic Medicine

Ms Mary E. Dickinson
Coroner's Service
Implementation Team

Dr Brian Farrell
Dublin City
and County Coroner's Office

Dr Des Corrigan
School of Pharmacy
Trinity College Dublin

Mr Eddie McGrath
The State Laboratory

Ms Carol Anne Hennessy
Central Statistics Office
Cork

Ms Aoife Frances
National Family Support Network

Ms Sadie Grace
National Family Support Network

Mr Joe Doyle
National Lead
National Social Inclusion Office
Health Service Executive

Dr Suzi Lyons
Senior Researcher
National Health Information Systems

Ms Ena Lynn
Research Officer
National Drug-Related Deaths Index

Dr Sarah Craig
Head of Unit
National Health Information Systems

Professor Joe Barry
Population Health Medicine
Trinity College, Dublin

Dr William Flannery
Faculty of Addiction Psychiatry
College of Psychiatrists

Detective Superintendent McCormack
Garda National Drugs Unit
"C" Branch