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Published on: January 8, 2020
The association between drug related deaths and prior contact with hospital-based services
R H K Thanacoody1, J Jay, J Sherval
1Scottish Poisons Information Bureau, Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK. ruben.thanacoody@luht.scot.nhs.uk
Unlabelled:
Reducing drug related deaths has been identified as a health priority by the Scottish Executive.
Aims:
This study investigates the association between drug related deaths in the Lothian region and prior contact with hospital-based services in the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary.
Design/Setting:
Retrospective analysis of 90 drug related deaths in Lothian from 2003-2005. Hospital episodes within five years of death were identified by searching the electronic patient record system within the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary.
Findings:
Seventy-five of the 90 drug related deaths occurred in the hospital catchment area. Forty five of these 75 deaths (60%) occurred in patients who had used hospital-based services in the previous five years. The median time from hospital contact to deaths was five months and median number of hospital attendances/admissions was three (range 1 - 26).
Conclusion:
Liaison between emergency departments, clinical toxicology services and community based drug addiction services is important to identify drug misusers at high risk. A hospital-based specialist nurse-led liaison service may be able to fulfil this role.
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