In-Hospital Drug Use Affects a Broad Patient Population and the Health Care System

Patients who suffer from addiction sometimes take illicit substances while in the hospital (in-hospital drug use [IHDU]), which can lead to unnecessary work-up and preventable treatments when symptoms develop. The purpose of this study was to define the frequency and scope of this problem, who it affects, and its impact on the medical system.

We reviewed all incident reports from our large, urban level 1 trauma center that involved a patient being found with illicit substances in the hospital between January 2020 and January 2023. Reports were included if patients were witnessed taking the illicit substance or if they admitted to taking one in the hospital. Individual medical charts were then reviewed to determine the details of the incident and the response of the medical team.

Thirty-one incidents meeting the inclusion criteria were found. Of the patients involved, 74.2% were male and ranged in age from 21 to 82 years old. The admitting services included internal or family medicine (48.4%), trauma (32.3%), surgical intensive care unit (ICU) (6.5%), medical ICU (6.5%), obstetrics and gynecology (3.2%), and plastic surgery (3.2%). Interventions ranged from no intervention to transfer to the ICU and intubation. 29.0% had visitors immediately prior to the incident, which may be how the substances were obtained. 16.1% left against medical advice after having their drugs confiscated.

Our findings suggest that a broad range of patients are at risk for IHDU, and that IHDU can lead to medical complications, additional medical expense, or patients at risk of incomplete care due to leaving against medical advice. Future work is necessary to understand patient outcomes and financial implications of IHDU, as well as to develop tools to identify those patients most at risk.