title: The association between drug related deaths and prior contact with hospital-based services.
abstract: Reducing drug related deaths has been identified as a health priority by the Scottish Executive.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This study investigates the association between drug related deaths in the Lothian region and prior contact with hospital-based services in the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective analysis of 90 drug related deaths in Lothian from 2003-2005. Hospital episodes within five years of death were identified by searching the electronic patient record system within the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Seventy-five of the 90 drug related deaths occurred in the hospital catchment area. Forty five of these 75 deaths (60%) occurred in patients who had used hospital-based services in the previous five years. The median time from hospital contact to deaths was five months and median number of hospital attendances/admissions was three (range 1 - 26).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Liaison between emergency departments, clinical toxicology services and community based drug addiction services is important to identify drug misusers at high risk. A hospital-based specialist nurse-led liaison service may be able to fulfil this role.
authors.affiliation: Scottish Poisons Information Bureau, Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK. ruben.thanacoody@luht.scot.nhs.uk
authors.forename: R H K
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Thanacoody
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jay
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sherval
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006761:Hospitals / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012606:Scotland / Q000453:epidemiology; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000401:mortality*