Epidemiology of admissions for voluntary drug intoxication in an Internal Medicine Unit
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How to quote
Cristóbal Domínguez E, Aguirre Ruiz de Arcaute B, Arizaga Hernández I, Hilera Ortega L, Galán Morcillo R, Arroyo Fontaneda M, et al. Epidemiología de los ingresos por intoxicación medicamentosa voluntaria en un servicio de Medicina Interna. Metas Enferm abr 2015; 18(3): 56-60.
Authors
1Estíbaliz Cristóbal Domínguez, 1Blanca Aguirre Ruiz de Arcaute, 1Irati Arizaga Hernández, 1Leire Hilera Ortega, 1Raquel Galán Morcillo, 1Marisol Arroyo Fontaneda, 1Blanca Aguayo Esgueva, 1Zuria Elorza Ozaeta, 1Zuriñe Alvarado Moreno
Position
1Enfermera. Servicio de Medicina Interna. Hospital Universitario de Álava-Santiago. Vitoria-Gasteiz (Álava).
Contact address
Estíbaliz Cristóbal Domínguez. Medicina Interna. Hospital Universitario de Álava-Santiago. C/ Olaguibel, 29. 01004 Vitoria-Gasteiz (Álava).
Contact email: estibaliz.cristobaldominguez@osakidetza.net
Abstract
Objective: to understand the epidemiological profile of patients seen at the Internal Medicine (IM) Unit due to voluntary drug intoxication, and to describe their admission and discharge situations.
Method: transversal descriptive study, with retrospective data, of those patients admitted at the IM Unit of the Hospital Universitario de Álava, based on Santiago, due to voluntary drug intoxication. Clinical records from May, 2009 to December, 2010 were reviewed. Confidence intervals were estimated at 95%.
Results: the clinical records of 131 patients were studied. Their average age was 41.2 years, and 63.7% were women. Out of these, 45% presented habitual dependence on toxic substances, and only 17 patients had no diagnosed psychiatric condition. Benzodiazepines were the substance of choice for intoxication (58.3%), and it was also the habitual medication with the highest prevalence within the sample (43.1%). In the unit, most patients required only serum therapy as treatment (51.9%), and the average stay was 1.5 days. 57 patients caused some type of incident, mostly associated with the use of restraints (26%). At discharge, Continuity of Care Reports were prepared for 47% of patients.
Conclusions: patients tend to use that medication which is at hand in order to conduct voluntary intoxication. A more thorough control of the medication available to them is required, and management at discharge must be improved. Clearer and more specific criteria are required for admission at IM of those intoxication cases which are not life threatening.
Keywords:
Voluntary drug intoxication; suicide attempt; admission; internal medicine; use of restraints; research; descriptive study
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