title: Detecting a signal in the noise: monitoring the global spread of novel psychoactive substances using media and other open-source information.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the feasibility and utility of using media reports and other open-source information collected by the Global Public Health Intelligence Network (GPHIN), an event-based surveillance system operated by the Public Health Agency of Canada, to rapidly detect clusters of adverse drug events associated with 'novel psychoactive substances' (NPS) at the international level.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Researchers searched English media reports collected by the GPHIN between 1997 and 2013 for references to synthetic cannabinoids. They screened the resulting reports for relevance and content (i.e., reports of morbidity and arrest), plotted and compared with other available indicators (e.g., US poison control center exposures). The pattern of results from the analysis of GPHIN reports resembled the pattern seen from the other indicators.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results of this study indicate that using media and other open-source information can help monitor the presence, usage, local policy, law enforcement responses, and spread of NPS in a rapid effective way. Further, modifying GPHIN to actively track NPS would be relatively inexpensive to implement and would be highly complementary to current national and international monitoring efforts.
authors.affiliation: Senior Research and Policy Analyst, Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.|Adjunct Research Professor, Department of Psychology, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Matthew M
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6125-4678
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Young
authors.affiliation: Information Specialist, Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Chad
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Dubeau
authors.affiliation: School of Life and Medical Sciences, University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, UK.
authors.forename: Ornella
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Corazza
mesh_terms: D016208:Databases, Factual; D006801:Humans; D008402:Mass Media; D011159:Population Surveillance / Q000379:methods*; D011619:Psychotropic Drugs / Q000009:adverse effects*; D040442:Public Health Informatics; D015813:Substance Abuse Detection; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis*
chemical_list: D011619:Psychotropic Drugs
keywords: drug use epidemiology; monitoring drug use; novel psychoactive substances