Morbidity associated with heroin overdose presentations to an emergency department: A 10‐year record linkage study |
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Authors: | Daniel M Fatovich Anne Bartu Geoff Davis Jag Atrie Frank FS Daly |
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Affiliation: | 1. Emergency Medicine, Royal Perth Hospital, University of Western Australia,;2. Centre for Clinical Research in Emergency Medicine, Western Australian Institute for Medical Research, Perth, Western Australia, Australia;3. School of Nursing and Midwifery, Curtin University of Technology,;4. Data Linkage Branch, Public Health Division, Department of Health, and;5. Royal Perth Hospital, |
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Abstract: | Introduction: To examine hospitalizations in a cohort of 224 patients who presented with non‐fatal heroin overdose to an ED. Methods: A record linkage study, using the morbidity, mental health and mortality databases in the Data Linkage Unit of the Department of Health, Western Australia. The main outcome measures were hospital separations 5 years before and after entry into the cohort. Results: Before entry into the cohort, 199 (89%) patients had an admission to mental health services. These 199 had a combined total of 1367 separations, most commonly for a mental health condition, injury or poisoning. Women had more than twice the relative risk (RR) of men for all separations (RR 2.35, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.96–2.82, P < 0.001) and for injury and poisoning separations (RR 2.04, 95% CI 1.56–2.66, P < 0.001). The highest concentrations of separations occurred within 1 year before and 1 year after entry into the cohort. There were 12 (5.4%, 95% CI 2.9–9.4%) deaths, most commonly from overdose. Conclusion: Non‐fatal heroin overdose ED presentations are associated with a cluster of hospitalizations around that episode, likely to be related to heroin availability. Presentation to hospital by heroin users represents an opportunity to counsel less risky behaviour. |
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Keywords: | emergency department heroin overdose hospitalization morbidity |
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