Substance Abuse Prompts 1.7 Million E.R. Visits

More than 1.7 million visits a year to hospital emergency departments are the result of some form of substance abuse or misuse, according to the latest Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN) report. Cocaine abuse was involved in more of those visits that any other drug.

Almost one-third of those emergency room visits (31%) involved illicit drugs only.

The 2006 DAWN report, developed by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), provides the latest estimates on how substance use affects the nation's healthcare system.

Some of the findings of the 2006 survey include:

• Cocaine was involved in 548,608 emergency department visits.

• Marijuana was involved in 290,563 emergency department visits.

• Heroin was involved in 189,780 emergency department visits.

• There were 126,704 emergency department visits by patients under age 21 where alcohol was the only substance involved in the visit.

• Stimulants, including amphetamines and methamphetamines, were involved in 107,575 emergency department visits.

113 Million E.R. Visits

In 2006, the DAWN report estimates that there were a total of 113 million visits to emergency departments in the United States. Of that number, 1,742,887 were associated with substance abuse. Of those 1.7 million visits:

• 31% involved illicit drugs only,

• 28% involved pharmaceuticals only,

• 7% involved alcohol only in patients under the age of 21,

• 13% involved illicit drugs with alcohol,

• 10% involved alcohol with pharmaceuticals,

• 8% involved illicit drugs with pharmaceuticals, and

• 3% involved illicit drugs with pharmaceuticals and alcohol.

The full DAWN report is available online.

Related Information:

• Emergency Room Ideal for Alcohol Intervention
  
• Alcohol and Trauma
  
• ERs Need to Better Assess Substance Abuse

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