title: Detailed analyses of self-poisoning episodes presenting to a large regional teaching hospital in the UK.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The primary aim of this paper is to provide comprehensive contemporaneous data on the demographics, patterns of presentation and management of all episodes of deliberate self-poisoning presenting to a large regional teaching hospital over a 12 month period.
  
  
  METHODS
  We undertook detailed, retrospective analyses using information from electronic patient records and local patient-tracking, pathology and administrative databases. Statistical analyses were performed using Chi-squared tests, anova and two-tailed t-tests (Graphpad Prism).
  
  
  RESULTS
  One thousand five hundred and ninety-eight episodes of deliberate self-poisoning presented over the year. Demographic data and information on the month, day and time of admission are provided. 70.7% presented to the emergency department (ED) within 4 h of ingestion. 76.3% of patients had only one episode in an extended 29 month follow-up period. A mean of 1.72 drugs were taken per episode with just over half of all episodes involving a single drug only. Paracetamol and ibuprofen were the two most commonly ingested drugs involved in 42.5% and 17.3% of all overdoses respectively. 56.3% of patients taking paracetamol reported ingesting over 8 g (one over the counter packet). Detailed mapping of the patients' pathway through the hospital allowed an estimation of the hospital cost of caring for this patient group at pound 1.6 million pounds per year.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We present comprehensive and contemporary data on presentations to hospital resulting from deliberate self-poisoning. We include demographic information, presentation patterns, drugs used, a detailed analysis of episodes involving paracetamol and an estimate of the financial burden to hospitals of overdose presentations.
authors.affiliation: Nottingham University, Medical School, Nottingham, UK.
authors.forename: Katherine
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Prescott
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Stratton
authors.forename: Anette
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Freyer
authors.forename: Ian
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Hall
authors.forename: Ivan
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Le Jeune
mesh_terms: D000082:Acetaminophen / Q000506:poisoning*; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D062787:Drug Overdose / Q000191:economics / Q000453:epidemiology*; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000191:economics; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D016728:Self-Injurious Behavior / Q000191:economics / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006113:United Kingdom / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000082:Acetaminophen
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