Fatal opioid overdoses during and shortly after hospital admissions in England: A case-crossover study

Original research
by
Lewer, Dan et al

Release Date

2021

Geography

UK

Language of Resource

English

Full Text Available

Yes

Open Access / OK to Reproduce

Yes

Peer Reviewed

Yes

Objective

This study examines whether hospital admission and discharge are associated with increased risk of opioid-related death.

Findings/Key points

Discharge from the hospital is associated with an acute increase in the risk of opioid-related death, and 1 in 14 opioid-related deaths in England happens in the 2 weeks after the hospital discharge. This supports interventions that prevent early discharge and improve linkage with community drug treatment and harm reduction services.

Design/methods

Case-crossover study

Keywords

Overdose
Mortality
About PWUD
Hospitals