Poisonings in Alberta - A Retrospective Population Based Study

• Author / Creator

  Chordiya, Pritam M

• Poisoning injuries constitute a significant health problem worldwide. Suicide is one of the leading causes of deaths and poisoning is the most common method utilized for the same. The objectives of this program of research were: 1) to systematically review existing studies analyzing the relationship between incidence of poisoning and mental health conditions in adolescents; 2) to understand which patient factors are related to the receipt of a professional consultation in poisoning cases visiting the emergency department. Two chapters contributed to accomplish the overall study goals.
  The first study (Chapter 2) was a systematic review that evaluated the relationship between incidence of poisoning and presence of mental conditions. The 10 included studies were abstracted, appraised, and their results were analyzed. We were unable to perform meta-analysis due to large heterogeneity across studies and lack of SE as included studies performed descriptive analysis. Studies included in the review demonstrated a trend indicating adolescents with a mental health condition to be at higher risk of poisoning related ER visit. Depression was the most dominant condition amongst those with a mental health condition; however the evidence is not sufficient to show a cause-effect relationship between presence of mental health condition and risk of poisoning.
  The second study (Chapter 3) described the circumstances that lead to emergency department visits due to poisoning-related injury events across all age groups in Alberta for the year 2010. This retrospective chart review was conducted by collecting poisoning-related emergency department data from Alberta Health Services (AHS) and Covenant Health, which maintain healthcare information for all Alberta residents accessing these services. The categorical data between groups was analyzed by using the Chi square test; odds ratio and confidence interval was calculated by multivariable logistic regression analysis. The retrospective study found prescription of form 1 or 10, underlying mental health conditions, history of self-harm and overdosing on recreational drugs to be associated to being referred for professional mental health consultations. While nuances exist by age between types of substances used, the problem is still highly prevalent across the lifespan. Joint efforts from different sectors including governments, health workers, schools, advocacy groups and mental health organizations is required to effectively reduce the impact from this important public health problem.

• Subjects / Keywords

  • Self harm
  • Drug overdose
  • Consultation
  • Poisoning
  • Mental health
  • Injury

• Graduation date

  Fall 2015

• Type of Item

  Thesis

• Degree

  Master of Science

• DOI

  https://doi.org/10.7939/R3HH6CD8R

• License

  This thesis is made available by the University of Alberta Libraries with permission of the copyright owner solely for non-commercial purposes. This thesis, or any portion thereof, may not otherwise be copied or reproduced without the written consent of the copyright owner, except to the extent permitted by Canadian copyright law.