'Before Medically Advised' Discharge Linked to Risk for Overdose
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter
MONDAY, Sept. 23, 2024 -- 'Before medically advised' (BMA) discharge from the hospital is associated with an increased risk for subsequent drug overdose, according to a study published online Sept. 23 in CMAJ, the journal of the Canadian Medical Association.
Mayesha Khan, from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada, and colleagues conducted a retrospective cohort study using administrative health data from a 20 percent random sample of residents of British Columbia, Canada, to examine whether BMA discharge increases the risk for subsequent drug overdose. A survival analysis was used to compare the rate of fatal and nonfatal illicit drug overdose in the first 30 days after BMA discharge versus after physician-advised discharge.
Overall, 3.4 percent of the 189,808 hospital stays ended in BMA discharge. The researchers found that 92 percent of the 820 overdoses occurring in the first 30 days after any hospital discharge involved patients with a history of substance use disorder. The unadjusted overdose rates were 10-fold higher after BMA versus physician-advised discharge; even after adjustment for potential confounders, BMA discharge was associated with subsequent overdose (crude incidence, 2.8 versus 0.3 percent; adjusted hazard ratio, 1.58). Increases in subsequent emergency department visits and unplanned hospital readmissions were seen in association with BMA (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.92 and 2.07, respectively); no significant association was seen with fatal overdoses and all-cause mortality.
"Hospitals and health systems should develop evidence-based protocols to prevent BMA discharge and should explore novel means of postdeparture outreach to reduce the risk of drug overdose after hospital discharge," the authors write.
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted September 2024
Read this next
2019 to 2023 Saw Increase in Prevalence of Psilocybin Use in the United States
TUESDAY, April 29, 2025 -- The prevalence of lifetime and past-year use of psilocybin increased from 2019 to 2023 among all age groups in the United States, according to a study...
Smoking, Eating, Vaping, Dabbing Are Most Common Routes of Marijuana Use
WEDNESDAY, April 23, 2025 -- Smoking, eating, vaping, and dabbing are the most common routes of marijuana use, according to research published in the April 10 issue of the U.S...
Hospital Addiction Consultation Service Aids Opioid Use Disorder
WEDNESDAY, April 16, 2025 -- A hospital-based addiction consultation service can improve receipt of evidence-based treatment for people with opioid use disorder (OUD), according...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.