TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2012//
TI  - Characteristics, procedural differences, and costs of inpatients with drug poisoning in acute care hospitals in Japan
JO  - General hospital psychiatry
A1  - Okumura, Yasuyuki
A1  - Shimizu, Sayuri
A1  - Ishikawa, Koichi B.
A1  - Matsuda, Shinya
A1  - Fushimi, Kiyohide
A1  - Ito, Hiroto
SP  - 681
EP  - 685
VL  - 34
IS  - 6
N2  - OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to describe the clinical and procedural characteristics of drug poisoning, to examine procedural differences between drug poisoning repeaters and non-repeaters, and to estimate the costs of drug poisoning. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study of a nationally representative sample of 6585 inpatients with drug poisoning was conducted, using the administrative database of the Diagnosis Procedure Combination/Per-Diem Payment System in 2008. RESULTS: Although only 3% of patients required surgery and 65% were discharged from the hospitals within 3 days, greater than 30% were admitted to tertiary emergency care (i.e., high-level emergency care) centers that provide care to severely ill and trauma patients who require intensive care. Only 30% of patients received psychiatric consultation during hospitalization. In addition, repeaters were less likely to be admitted to hospitals by ambulance (67% vs. 76%) and more likely to be discharged within 3 days (77% vs. 65%) than non-repeaters. The annual economic burden of drug poisoning in Japan was $66 million (¥7.7 billion), with the population aged 20-39 years accounting for 50% of these costs. CONCLUSION: This study highlights the need for optimally allocating resources and improving prevention strategies.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 0163-8343
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.genhosppsych.2012.07.009
ID  - ref1
ER  -