[Factors associated with utilization of hospital emergency services by alcoholic patients in a follow-up study of 18 months].
BACKGROUND
This paper assesses the use of hospital emergency services by alcoholics in clinical treatment for a period of 18 months and looks for possible sociodemographic and clinical explanatory variables associated with use of those services.


METHODS
A prospective study of a cohort of male alcoholics (n = 137) which began medical treatment because their alcoholism in outpatient or inpatient facilities. Information was assembled by means of a structured interview on sociodemographic and clinical variables, including the Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test (MAST) and the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-60).


RESULTS
Sixty-five percent of alcoholics (n = 88) attended the emergency services at least once during the 18 months of follow-up, and 25% (n = 34) did use them more than three times. The politomous logistic regression models point to the age (OR = 0.95; 95% CI = 0.92-0.98); MAST score (OR = 1.1; 95% CI = 1.0-1.2); and employment status (unemployed vs. employed, OR = 2.1; 95% CI = 1.0-4.4) as the main predictors for heavy attendance of emergency service.


CONCLUSIONS
The relevance in this study of age, employment status, and alcohol-related problems experienced (MAST), as well as taking into account that 36% of attended emergencies were because drunkenness or demanding disintoxication treatment, point to the non-sanitary problems which emergency services might be looking after, at least for some alcoholics whom do not seem to adhere to regular treatment programs.
Aldama
E
E
Servicio de Psiquiatría, Hospital Santiago Apóstol, Osakidetza-Servicio Vasco de Salud, Vitoria.
Ariño
J
J
Ballesteros
J
J
Gutiérrez
M
M
D000328:Adult; D000437:Alcoholism; D004632:Emergency Medical Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011446:Prospective Studies
Factores asociados a la utilización de los servicios de urgencias hospitalarios por enfermos alcohólicos en un estudio de seguimiento a 18 meses.