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Abstract
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OBJECTIVE: To examine characteristics of hospital admissions and risk factors associated with rehospitalization for self-poisoning with medications in adolescents aged 10-19 years.
METHOD: This study used data from the Norwegian Patient Register from 2008 to 2011. The main outcome was hospital readmission within the observation period. A complementary log-log regression model was used to assess the effect of characteristics at index hospital admission on readmission.
RESULTS: Of 1497 patients, 76.4% were females and 89.8% were aged 15-19 years. At their first hospital admission, about one third received a secondary psychiatric diagnosis. Females (47.5%) were registered with an E-code for intentional self-harm more often than males (33.7%), and females were more often than males discharged to further treatment (27.8% vs. 21.5%). As many as 18.4% were rehospitalized for self-poisoning by medications. Significant predictors for hospital readmission were female sex [hazard ratio (HR)=2.4, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.7-3.6], discharge to further treatment (HR=2.3, 95% CI 1.8-2.9) and psychiatric secondary diagnoses (HR=1.5, 95% CI 1.2-1.9).
CONCLUSION: This national study demonstrated significant sex differences in adolescents treated in hospital for self-poisoning with medications. Psychiatric secondary diagnoses had a strong predictive effect on readmission, which indicates the importance of psychiatric/psychosocial assessment of adolescents who are admitted to hospital for self-poisoning with medications.
Language: en |