Drug-Involved Mortality (DIM) data available through the Research Data Center (RDC)

The Drug-Involved Mortality (DIM) data are an enhancement to the National Vital Statistics System, Mortality data providing information on substances, as well as prescription (using generic names only – no trademarks) and illicit drugs mentioned on death certificates of residents of the United States and the District of Columbia. Data files were created by examining the literal text of three fields on the death certificate: Part I-Cause of Death, Part II –Significant Conditions Contributing to Death and Box 43, a verbatim description of how the injury occurred. The DIM data system does not support individual examination of “literal text” and the actual variables showing free-form text are not included in these files.