Cost analysis of poisoning cases admitted to the emergency department

Abstract

Aims: Poisoning incidents are frequently encountered and can often result in fatal outcomes in emergency departments. This study aimed to examine the demographic characteristics of patients diagnosed with drug poisoning in the emergency department and to analyze the associated healthcare costs. Methods: The study retrospectively analyzed patients admitted to the Nevşehir State Hospital emergency service between January 1, 2017, and December 31, 2018, due to both accidental and intentional drug poisoning. The number of patients diagnosed with drug poisoning in the emergency department was assessed by month and year. Aspects such as the demographic characteristics of the patients, the times of their admission to the emergency department, the outcomes in the emergency department, and the associated costs were compared. Results: The emergency department received a total of 520,672 patients. Among these, 659 patients who were diagnosed with drug poisoning and had complete data were included in the study. Women constituted 65% of the study population. The patients were categorized into two groups: children under the age of 18 and adults aged 18 and over. The average age of the pediatric patients was 7.7, while the mean age of the adult patients was 30.2. When the emergency service costs were compared with the age and gender variables of the admissions, no statistically significant difference was observed (p>0.05). However, a statistically significant difference was noted in terms of cost when the times of admission for patients in the emergency department were compared (p<0.05). Conclusion: Given the morbidity and mortality rates associated with poisoning, the financial burden it imposes is substantial. It is necessary to develop targeted preventive health services to reduce the incidence of poisoning cases.