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Socioeconomic factors and substances involved in poisoning-related emergency department visits in British Columbia, Canada Pawer, Samantha; Rajabali, Fahra; Zheng, Alex; Pike, Ian, 1958-; Purssell, Roy; Zargaran, Atousa; Babul, Shelina

Abstract

Canada’s opioid crisis has taken thousands of lives, increasing awareness of poisoning-related injuries as an important public health issue. However, in British Columbia (BC), where overdose mortality rates are the highest in Canada, studies have not yet identified which demographic populations most often visit emergency departments (ED) due to all poisonings, nor which substances are most commonly involved. The aim of this study was to explore these gaps, after developing a methodology for calculating ED visit rates in BC. A methodology for estimating ED visit rates in BC was developed and applied to determine poisoning-related ED visit rates among various demographic groups within BC. British Columbians most vulnerable to poisoning have been identified, emphasizing the need for efforts to limit drug overdoses and excessive alcohol intoxication to reduce rates of these preventable injuries.

Item Metadata

Title
Socioeconomic factors and substances involved in poisoning-related emergency department visits in British Columbia, Canada
Creator
Pawer, Samantha; Rajabali, Fahra; Zheng, Alex; Pike, Ian, 1958-; Purssell, Roy; Zargaran, Atousa; Babul, Shelina
Contributor
B.C. Injury Research and Prevention Unit; Children's Hospital (Vancouver, B.C.)
Publisher
Public Health Agency of Canada
Date Issued
2021
Description
Canada’s opioid crisis has taken thousands of lives, increasing awareness of poisoning-related injuries as an important public health issue. However, in British Columbia (BC), where overdose mortality rates are the highest in Canada, studies have not yet identified which demographic populations most often visit emergency departments (ED) due to all poisonings, nor which substances are most commonly involved. The aim of this study was to explore these gaps, after developing a methodology for calculating ED visit rates in BC. A methodology for estimating ED visit rates in BC was developed and applied to determine poisoning-related ED visit rates among various demographic groups within BC. British Columbians most vulnerable to poisoning have been identified, emphasizing the need for efforts to limit drug overdoses and excessive alcohol intoxication to reduce rates of these preventable injuries.
Subject
Children and youth (0-19); Poisoning
Genre
Article; Postprint
Type
Text
Language
eng
Date Available
2022-08-04
Provider
Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
Rights
Attribution 4.0 International
DOI
10.14288/1.0416582
URI
http://hdl.handle.net/2429/82264
Affiliation
Medicine, Faculty of; Pediatrics, Department of; Emergency Medicine, Department of
Citation
Pawer S, Rajabali F, Zheng A, Pike I, Purssell R, Zargaran A, Babul S. Socioeconomic factors and substances involved in poisoning-related emergency department visits in British Columbia, Canada. Health Promot Chronic Dis Prev Can. 2021;41(7/8):211-21.
Publisher DOI
10.24095/hpcdp.41.7/8.02
Peer Review Status
Reviewed
Scholarly Level
Faculty; Researcher
Rights URI
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
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Attribution 4.0 International