Cai-Lei Matsumoto1, Terry O'Driscoll1, Jennifer Lawrance2, Andre Jakubow3, Sharen Madden4, Len Kelly2. 1. *Sioux Lookout First Nations Health Authority,Sioux Lookout,ON. 2. ‡Sioux Lookout Meno Ya Win Health Centre,Sioux Lookout,ON. 3. §Emergency Department,Division of Clinical Sciences,Northern Ontario School of Medicine,Sudbury,ON. 4. †Division of Clinical Sciences,Northern Ontario School of Medicine,Sudbury,ON.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: The main objective of this study was to understand the five-year trend in total emergency department (ED) visits, frequency of use, and diagnoses and disposition of patients. Since the region has experienced a profound increase in opioid use disorder since 2009, we were particularly interested in changes in the volume of mental health and addiction (MHA) ED presentations. METHODS: Retrospective aggregate data analysis of ED visits to the Sioux Lookout Meno Ya Win Health Centre 2010-2014. RESULTS: ED visit volume increased 29% over the five-year study period, while MHA ED visits increased 73%. The admission rate remained stable at 6.9% of ED visits. Five-year trends in clinically grouped diagnostic categories identified respiratory, MHA, and abdominal/pelvic complaints as the three most common ED presentations. In 2014, MHA presentations accounted for 10.3% of ED visits, 8.7% of admissions, and 20.0% of inter-hospital transfers. CONCLUSION: The dramatic increase in MHA ED visits mirrors the opioid epidemic the region is experiencing. MHA may soon become the commonest ED presentation. If reasons for ED visits serve as a proxy for unmet outpatient needs, increased efforts at developing community MHA services and addressing the related social determinants of health are required.
OBJECTIVE: The main objective of this study was to understand the five-year trend in total emergency department (ED) visits, frequency of use, and diagnoses and disposition of patients. Since the region has experienced a profound increase in opioid use disorder since 2009, we were particularly interested in changes in the volume of mental health and addiction (MHA) ED presentations. METHODS: Retrospective aggregate data analysis of ED visits to the Sioux Lookout Meno Ya Win Health Centre 2010-2014. RESULTS: ED visit volume increased 29% over the five-year study period, while MHA ED visits increased 73%. The admission rate remained stable at 6.9% of ED visits. Five-year trends in clinically grouped diagnostic categories identified respiratory, MHA, and abdominal/pelvic complaints as the three most common ED presentations. In 2014, MHA presentations accounted for 10.3% of ED visits, 8.7% of admissions, and 20.0% of inter-hospital transfers. CONCLUSION: The dramatic increase in MHA ED visits mirrors the opioid epidemic the region is experiencing. MHA may soon become the commonest ED presentation. If reasons for ED visits serve as a proxy for unmet outpatient needs, increased efforts at developing community MHA services and addressing the related social determinants of health are required.
Authors: David VanderBurgh; David W Savage; Sacha Dubois; Natalie Binguis; Sadie Maxwell; Natalie Bocking; Terri Farrell; Homer Tien; Stephen D Ritchie; Aaron Orkin Journal: CMAJ Open Date: 2020-05-23