Methods for population size estimation of problem drug users using a single registration.

Background: The number of problem drug users is used as a key indicator to monitor the drug situation in the European Union. An alternative approach to estimate the number of problem drug users is given by 'the one-source capture-recapture analysis' that uses a single registration.

Methods: Two variants of the one-source capture-recapture analysis were applied to a single registration: the truncated Poisson regression model (TPR) and the Zelterman regression model.

Estimating the total mortality among problem drug users.

This paper's objective is to develop a method to estimate the total mortality among problem drug users. The total mortality is given by a base rate of mortality not related to drugs and the deaths that are directly and indirectly related to drugs. A fatal poisoning by drugs (overdose) is directly related to drugs, whereas a casualty due to a drug-related disease or a drug-related accident is indirectly related to drugs.