Emergency service use is common in the year before death among drug users who die from an overdose

Abstract

Aims: This study compares the characteristics of those who were or were not attended by the emergency services in the year before death. It describes the reasons for emergency service attendance and the prevalence of such attendance. It reports the number of days between the last emergency service attendance and death and examines contact with other health and social services and the association of this with emergency service attendance. Finally, it examines the association between the frequency of emergency service attendance and the frequency of contact with other services.Methods: A retrospective registry study where all overdose fatalities (n = 231) in Oslo, Norway (2006–2008), was identified through the National Cause of Death Registry and linked with data from other health and social services.

Results: Overall, 61% were emergency service attendees and 18% were frequent attendees. Somatic complaints were the most common reason for attendance. Attendees were more known to a number of other services compared to the non-attendees. Furthermore, there was an association between the frequency of emergency service attendance and the frequency of contact with other services.Conclusions: Screening for drug use among emergency service attendees may be a way to identify those at risk of overdose death and enable the introduction of additional interventions.

Keywords:

• Drug-induced deaths
• emergency service
• overdose

Note

1. Frequency of service use data was available for only six out of nine other health and social services: (1) social services, (2) hospitals, (3) community health nursing programmes, (4) the injection room, (5) street health clinics, and (6) outreach services.

Declaration of interest

The authors report no conflict of interest.