Chantel Urban1, Sarah A Arias2, Daniel L Segal3, Carlos A Camargo4, Edwin D Boudreaux5, Ivan Miller2, Marian E Betz6. 1. Colorado School of Public Health, Aurora, CO, USA; Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, USA. 2. Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Brown University, Butler Hospital, Providence, RI, USA. 3. Department of Psychology, University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, Colorado Springs, CO, USA. 4. Department of Emergency Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA. 5. Departments of Emergency Medicine, Psychiatry, and Quantitative Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA. 6. Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, USA. Electronic address: marian.betz@ucdenver.edu.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To compare Emergency Department (ED) care of suicidal patients with and without documented acute alcohol use. METHODS: Retrospective chart review of randomly sampled patient visits (n = 800; January 2014 to December 2015) at an urban ED with universal screening for suicide risk. Eligible visits were by adults (18+ years) who screened positive for suicide risk at the ED visit (i.e., suicidal ideation in past two weeks or suicide attempt in past six months). Analyses compared those with and without documentation of acute alcohol use. RESULTS: Among these patients with suicide risk, 19% had documented acute alcohol use (versus 43% with no use and 38% without documentation); individuals with acute alcohol use were more often male and aged 35-59 years. Overall, 62% were evaluated by a mental health professional in the ED. Individuals with acute alcohol use were significantly less likely (vs those without use) to be evaluated by a mental health professional in the ED (odds ratio 0.49, 95%CI 0.28-0.87) after adjustment for age, recent suicide ideation, current suicide plan, self-harm as a chief complaint, contact with family, and ED disposition. CONCLUSIONS: Although alcohol use can increase suicide risk, ED patients with acute use appear to receive less thorough suicide risk assessments.
OBJECTIVE: To compare Emergency Department (ED) care of suicidal patients with and without documented acute alcohol use. METHODS: Retrospective chart review of randomly sampled patient visits (n = 800; January 2014 to December 2015) at an urban ED with universal screening for suicide risk. Eligible visits were by adults (18+ years) who screened positive for suicide risk at the ED visit (i.e., suicidal ideation in past two weeks or suicide attempt in past six months). Analyses compared those with and without documentation of acute alcohol use. RESULTS: Among these patients with suicide risk, 19% had documented acute alcohol use (versus 43% with no use and 38% without documentation); individuals with acute alcohol use were more often male and aged 35-59 years. Overall, 62% were evaluated by a mental health professional in the ED. Individuals with acute alcohol use were significantly less likely (vs those without use) to be evaluated by a mental health professional in the ED (odds ratio 0.49, 95%CI 0.28-0.87) after adjustment for age, recent suicide ideation, current suicide plan, self-harm as a chief complaint, contact with family, and ED disposition. CONCLUSIONS: Although alcohol use can increase suicide risk, ED patients with acute use appear to receive less thorough suicide risk assessments.
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