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Drug and Alcohol Use-related Emergency Department (ED) Visits

In calendar 2018, a total of 9,413 alcohol use-related emergency department (ED) visits^[1] in Greater New Orleans[2] were reported to the Louisiana Early Event Detection System (LEEDS) while there were 8,855 drug use-related visits. These represent 1.69 percent and 1.59 percent of all ED visits reported, respectively.

 

• Five-Year Trend (chart above) – From January 2014 through December 2018, alcohol and drug use contributed to an increasing proportion of emergency department visits. During this five-year period, the proportion of weekly total ED visits that were alcohol use-related visits increased at an average annual rate of 7.2 percent while the proportion of weekly total ED visits that were drug use-related visits increased at an average annual rate of 23.6 percent.[3]
  

• Recent Trend (chart below) – From January 2017 through December 2018 (a two-year period), the proportion of weekly total ED visits that were alcohol use-related visits increased at an average annual rate of 10.9 percent while the proportion of weekly total ED visits that were specifically drug use-related visits increased at an average annual rate of 37.1 percent.

• Since January 2014, alcohol use-related ED visits increased at a slower rate than drug use-related ED visits so that by 2018 the number of drug use-related ED visits was approximately equal to the number of alcohol use-related visits.

• From January 2017 to December 2018, both alcohol use-related and drug use-related ED visits increased more rapidly than for the five-year period, 2014 through 2018.

 

Notes:

[1] These visits were identified based on text describing the presenting problem and or diagnoses recorded.

[2] Greater New Orleans refers to the 4 parishes: Orleans, Jefferson, St. Bernard and Plaquemines

[3] Based on linear trend analysis of weekly visit counts. Take the regression coefficient for the trend line and multiply by 52 (weeks per year) to obtain an annual percentage point increase. Divide the percentage point increase by the average (mean) percentage of all visits for the period to estimate the annual percentage increase.



Source: Louisiana Early Event Detection System (LEEDS), weekly summary data provided by the Department of Health and Hospitals, Office of Public Health, January 30, 2019.

Analysis and presentation of this data is supported in part by a Drug Free Communities grant to the Greater New Orleans Drug Demand Reduction Coalition.

For Further Information:

Regarding the Louisiana Early Event Detection System (LEEDS), follow this link, http://new.dhh.louisiana.gov/index.cfm/page/1000 or contact megan.jespersen@la.gov;

Regarding the specific analysis presented here, contact Bob.Gallati@ARC-Associates.net .

April 8, 2019 (Revised 11/01/2019)

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