Characterising the number and type of presentations to a tertiary emergency department by young people affected by drugs and alcohol.

ConclusionDA are involved in a substantial number of presentations of young people to the ED and are associated with an increased risk of assault and aggression. Public health strategies should target the links between DA use and mental health in young people.What is known about the topic already?It is known that the use of alcohol and drugs in young people is an ongoing public health concern. Research suggests this cohort of the population is more likely to present to an ED with an injury than the comparative age group not intoxicated by drugs or alcohol, and is more likely to be reviewed after hours. Alcohol is the predominant drug that had been used by young people at the time of the present study.What does this paper add?This paper reviews the number and types of presentations to a tertiary ED. In so doing, many more areas were researched (rather than simply link to injury) and, as a result, it was found that young people present to the ED with an increased risk of mental health issues and an increased risk of aggression. The study also found that young people intoxicated with DA most commonly presented for different reasons than the same sober cohort.What are the implications for practitioners?We know that young people intoxicated with DA represent a different public health issue than the sample group, and, as a result, public health initiatives must concentrate on the confounding factors of the presenting complaint, notably education surrounding the risk of mental healt...

Source: Australian Health Review - June 18, 2020 Category: Hospital Management Authors: Nagree Y, Darwent B Tags: Aust Health Rev Source Type: research