Abstract
BACKGROUND: People who inject drugs (PWID) have worse health than non-injectors and are at heightened risk of incidents that necessitate hospital emergency department (ED) visits.
STUDY OBJECTIVES: To describe ED visits by PWIDs in Melbourne, Australia, and compare reasons with those given in Vancouver, Canada.
METHODS: In 2008-2010, 688 Melbourne PWIDs were interviewed about their ED visits; these data were contrasted with published data about ED visits by PWIDs in Vancouver.
RESULTS: Participants reported 132 ED visits in the month preceding interview--27.3% drug-related, 20.5% trauma-related (principally physical assault), 13.6% for psychiatric problems. Melbourne PWIDs are less likely to attend ED for soft-tissue injuries, and more likely to attend after physical assault than PWIDs in Vancouver.
CONCLUSION: PWID in Melbourne and Vancouver attend EDs for different reasons; information about PWID visits can help EDs cater for them and provide insights for prevention.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 421-2 |
| Number of pages | 2 |
| Journal | Emergency Medicine Journal |
| Volume | 30 |
| Issue number | 5 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - May 2013 |
Keywords
- Adolescent
- Adult
- British Columbia
- Cross-Sectional Studies
- Emergency Service, Hospital
- Female
- Humans
- Male
- Substance Abuse, Intravenous
- Substance-Related Disorders
- Victoria
- Wounds and Injuries
- Young Adult
