Release Date
Geography
Language of Resource
Open Access / OK to Reproduce
Objective
To investigate if “before medically advised” (BMA) discharge from hospital increases the risk of subsequent drug overdose.
Findings/Key points
Unadjusted overdose rates were 10-fold higher after BMA discharge than after physician-advised discharge, and BMA discharge was associated with subsequent overdose even after adjustment for potential confounders. BMA discharge was associated with increases in subsequent emergency department visits and unplanned hospital readmissions, but there was no significant association with the uncommon outcomes of fatal overdose and all-cause mortality.
Design/methods
This is a retrospective cohort study using administrative health data from a 20% random sample of residents of British Columbia, Canada. We used survival analysis to compare the rate of fatal or nonfatal illegal drug overdose in the first 30 days after BMA discharge versus the rate after physician-advised discharge.
