A capture-recapture study of the prevalence and implications of opiate usein Dublin

Background: To date there have been no studies estimating the hidden preval ence of opiate use in Dublin. Methods: A multisource enumeration followed b y the application of the capture-recapture method with log-linear modelling including age and gender stratification to remove heterogeneity was implem ented to provide an estimate of the unknown size of the opiate-using popula tion, Two medical and one legal data sources were used. Results: It was fou nd that the ratio of known to unknown opiate users was 1:1.15 with a total of 13,460 (95% CI: 12,037-15,306) users estimated in Dublin in 1996, Conclu sion: The findings of this study have important ramifications for service d elivery.