Homeless people under the influence of alcohol admitted to hospital emergency departments in Poland
Aim: To assess the incidence of diagnoses related to alcohol use in the population of homeless people admitted to hospital emergency departments (EDs). Material and method: Data were analysed from three hospitals concerning stays of homeless people in three EDs in Bydgoszcz, Poland, in 2013–2015; 31...
Saved in:
Published in | Nordisk alkohol- & narkotikatidskrift : NAT Vol. 37; no. 2; pp. 190 - 200 |
---|---|
Main Authors | , , |
Format | Journal Article |
Language | English Danish Norwegian Swedish |
Published |
London, England
SAGE Publications
01.04.2020
Sage Publications Ltd |
Subjects | |
Online Access | Get full text |
Cover
Loading…
Summary: | Aim:
To assess the incidence of diagnoses related to alcohol use in the population of homeless people admitted to hospital emergency departments (EDs).
Material and method:
Data were analysed from three hospitals concerning stays of homeless people in three EDs in Bydgoszcz, Poland, in 2013–2015; 3133 stays were identified. The data were compiled using Microsoft Excel and Statistica 10 statistical software.
Results:
At the time of admission to EDs, 31% of homeless people were considered to be under the influence of alcohol. Diagnoses related to alcohol use accounted for 25% of all diagnoses. The average blood alcohol concentration in the patients was 2.97 per mille. The average blood alcohol concentration in the group of men was significantly higher than that in the group of women (p = 0.015). The average length of stay in the ED of patients under the influence of alcohol was significantly longer (p < 0.0001) than among sober patients.
Conclusions:
Homeless people under the influence of alcohol account for a third of the population of homeless patients admitted to hospital emergency departments, while alcohol-related ICD-10 diagnoses account for a fourth of all diagnoses in these patients. Homeless patients under the influence of alcohol stay longer in hospital emergency departments than do sober homeless people, which may translate into more frequent acts of aggression towards medical personnel. In Poland there are no systemic ED-level solutions as regards dealing with homeless patients for whom alcohol dependence is in many cases a reality. |
---|---|
Bibliography: | ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23 |
ISSN: | 1455-0725 1458-6126 |
DOI: | 10.1177/1455072520908387 |