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A Comparison of Drug-Related Problems in London Accident and Emergency Departments 1975–1982

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 January 2018

Hamid Ghodse ,
John Stapleton ,
Griffith Edwards ,
Thomas Bewley  and
Muhammad Al-Samarrai
Hamid Ghodse*
Affiliation:
St George's, St Thomas' & Tooting Bec Hospitals
John Stapleton
Affiliation:
Institute of Psychiatry, Denmark Hill, London SE5 8AF
Griffith Edwards
Affiliation:
Addiction Research Unit, Institute of Psychiatry
Thomas Bewley
Affiliation:
St Thomas' and Tooting Bec Hospitals, London
Muhammad Al-Samarrai
Affiliation:
St George's Hospital
*
∗Correspondence address: Drug Dependence Treatment and Alcohol Research Unit, St George's Hospital, Blackshaw Road, London SW17.
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Abstract

Drug-related incidents dealt with by ten Accident and Emergency departments in Greater London during July 1982 were compared with those obtained from an identical survey in 1975. The number of incidents remained high, but there was a significant reduction in them and in the number of drug dependent attenders, compared with 1975: hynotic drugs were used in a significantly smaller percentage of drug overdoses, but there was increased use of minor tranquillisers. The possibility of using A & E departments to monitor drug misuse on a Regional basis is discussed.

Type
Papers
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 148 , Issue 6 , June 1986 , pp. 658 - 662
Copyright
Copyright © 1986 The Royal College of Psychiatrists 

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