DAWN has two components:

• one collects data on drug-related visits to a sample of the Nation’s emergency departments (EDs);
• the other collects data on drug-related deaths from medical examiner and coroner (ME/C) jurisdictions throughout the country.

Patients are never interviewed. All data are collected through a retrospective review of patient medical records and decedent case files.

DAWN collects detailed drug data, including illegal drugs of abuse, prescription and over-the-counter medications, dietary supplements, and non-pharmaceutical inhalants.

SAMHSA publishes national and metropolitan area estimates of drug-related ED visits twice each year. Mortality data are published annually for each participating jurisdiction. Additional analyses are made available throughout the year.