[Patients with minor injuries in a Berlin inner-city emergency room : substance misuse, residential area, and sociodemographics].
BACKGROUND
The aim of this post hoc study was to evaluate the association of substance use disorders (SUD) and residential neighborhood affiliation in a group of patients with minor injuries presenting to an inner-city emergency room (ER) in Berlin.


METHODS
A total of 2,716 patients with minor injuries presenting to the ER were evaluated concerning alcohol use disorders (AUDIT, cut-off: males 8 points, females 5 points), smoking status, and illicit drug use in the past year. Information about residential area (zip code) and sociodemographics (paper-pencil questionnaire) were also obtained.


RESULTS
With respect to residential area, significant differences concerning SUD were identified: from the perspective of the inner-city ER, living close to the ER was associated with substance misuse. Here, alcohol use disorders (AUD), smokers, and illicit drug use were found more frequently compared to patients living in the periphery of the city. In addition, patients living close to the ER were more often unemployed, had a lower income, or were students.


CONCLUSIONS
There are differences in SUD with respect to residential area. However, in order to be able to draw reliable conclusions, an approach collecting representative data at the city district level as well as using a multicenter approach at the city ER level is necessary.
Universitätsklinik für Anästhesiologie mit Schwerpunkt operative Intensivmedizin, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Campus Virchow-Klinikum und Campus Charité Mitte, Berlin, Deutschland. tim.neumann@charite.de
T
T
Neumann
B
B
Neuner
E
E
Weib-Gerlach
U
U
Grittner
A
A
Tempka
C
C
Spies
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000453:epidemiology*; D001604:Berlin; D002648:Child; D015897:Comorbidity; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital; D005260:Female; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006785:Hospitals, University; D006801:Humans; D013287:Illicit Drugs; D015601:Injury Severity Score; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012111:Residence Characteristics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014505:Urban Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology*
D013287:Illicit Drugs