title: Epidemiological and cost analysis of self-poisoning cases in ankara, Turkey.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Poisoning is a global public health problem. Self-poisoning has potentially serious consequences. Follow-up studies have found that 3-10% of self-harm patients eventually succeed.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This study was designed to investigate the epidemiological, clinical and economical aspects of deliberate self-poisoning patients admitted to Yenimahalle State Hospital Intensive Care Unit.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study was carried out retrospectively in Ankara Yenimahalle State Hospital. It included Seventy-one patients over 16 years of age who were admitted to the hospital due to poisoning during 2012. Exposed poisons were classified into one of three categories; pharmaceuticals, pesticides, and alcohols. Cost account was based on the medical invoices at patient discharge. Data were compared using Student's T test and chi-square test. A P value of less than 0.05 was considered significant.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The female/male ratio was 2.55. The mean age of the 71 poisoned patients was 28.92 ± 11.51 years. Most of the poisoning agents were pharmaceuticals (68 cases). Among the pharmaceuticals, antidepressants were involved most often, followed by analgesics. There was no statistically significant difference between pharmaceutical agents in terms of hospital cost (P > 0.05). The mean length of hospital stay was 6.4 ± 4.3 days. There was a statistically significant difference between the lengths of stay of patients in terms of hospital cost (P < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The patient cost increased as the length of stay increased due to the policy of bundle pricing.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology and Reanimation, Yenimahalle State Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Gulsum
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Kavalci
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology and Reanimation, Yenimahalle State Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Filiz Banu
authors.initials: FB
authors.lastname: Ethemoglu
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology and Reanimation, Yenimahalle State Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Asli
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Batuman
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology and Reanimation, Yenimahalle State Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Dilber
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kumral
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology and Reanimation, Yenimahalle State Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Cengizhan
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Emre
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology and Reanimation, Yenimahalle State Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Meltem
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Surgit
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology and Reanimation, Yenimahalle State Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Alev
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Akdikan
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine Emergency, University of Baskent, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Cemil
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kavalci
keywords: Cost; Intensive Care Unit; Poisoning