Characteristics, procedural differences, and costs of inpatients with drug poisoning in acute care hospitals in Japan

ObjectivesThis study aimed to describe the clinical and procedural characteristics of drug poisoning, to examine procedural differences between drug poisoning repeaters and non-repeaters, and to estimate the costs of drug poisoning.MethodsA retrospective cohort study of a nationally representative sample of 6585 inpatients with drug poisoning was conducted, using the administrative database of the Diagnosis Procedure Combination/Per-Diem Payment System in 2008.ResultsAlthough only 3% of patients required surgery and 65% were discharged from the hospitals within 3 days, greater than 30% were admitted to tertiary emergency care (i.e., high-level emergency care) centers that provide care to severely ill and trauma patients who require intensive care. Only 30% of patients received psychiatric consultation during hospitalization. In addition, repeaters were less likely to be admitted to hospitals by ambulance (67% vs. 76%) and more likely to be discharged within 3 days (77% vs. 65%) than non-repeaters. The annual economic burden of drug poisoning in Japan was $66 million (¥7.7 billion), with the population aged 20–39 years accounting for 50% of these costs.ConclusionThis study highlights the need for optimally allocating resources and improving prevention strategies.