Emergency department outpatient treatment of alcohol-intoxicated bicyclists increases the cost of medical care in Japan
نویسندگان
چکیده
Riding a bicycle under the influence of alcohol is illegal in Japan. Nevertheless, intoxicated bicyclists are frequently treated at hospital emergency departments for bicycle-related injuries. This patient population usually requires more hospital resources, even for relatively minor injuries. Therefore, we hypothesized that bicycle-related crashes involving bicyclists under the influence of alcohol cost more to treat than those that do not involve alcohol intoxication. The aim of the present study was to examine the costs associated with bicycle-related minor injuries and alcohol intoxication of the bicyclist. The study was conducted at the Tokyo Bay Urayasu Ichikawa Medical Center Emergency Department, Japan. All minor bicycle crashes involving 217 individuals aged ≥20 years treated from September 1, 2012 to August 31, 2013 were included in the analysis of data obtained from medical records. Variables included alcohol intoxication, sex, age, collision with a motor vehicle, Glasgow Coma Scale, injury severity score (ISS), laboratory tests, treatment of wounds, number of X-ray images, number of computed tomography scans, and medical costs. Multiple linear regression analysis was performed to evaluate the association between alcohol intoxication and medical costs. Seventy (32%) patients consumed alcohol, and the median medical cost was 253 USD (interquartile range [IQR], 164-330). Multivariable analysis showed that alcohol intoxication was independently associated with higher medical costs (p = 0.030, adjusted R-square value = 0.55). These findings support our hypothesis and should encourage authorities to implement comprehensive measures to prohibit bicycling under the influence of alcohol to prevent injuries and to reduce medical costs.
منابع مشابه
An Overview of Hydrogen Sulfide Suicides Based on Police Data in Yamagata Prefecture, Japan
متن کامل
Risk assessment in patients with acute alcohol intoxication.
AIM Patients with acute alcohol intoxication present a serious and still growing problem for pre- and intra-hospital emergency services. Data on the clinical risk assessment of alcohol-intoxicated patients are sparse. The aim of the present work was, therefore, to collect and assess relevant risk parameters. MATERIALS AND METHODS At the Mannheim University Hospital, the medical records of 844...
متن کاملEffect of reducing cost sharing for outpatient care on children’s inpatient services in Japan
BACKGROUND Assessing the impact of cost sharing on healthcare utilization is a critical issue in health economics and health policy. It may affect the utilization of different services, but is yet to be well understood. OBJECTIVE This paper investigates the effects of reducing cost sharing for outpatient services on hospital admissions by exploring a subsidy policy for children's outpatient s...
متن کاملThe Suicide Pandemic of Hydrogen Sulfide Poisoning in Japan
Background: Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) suicides have been frequent in Japan in recent years. This study was performed to describe the epidemiologic profile of an outbreak of H2S suicides in Japan. Methods: In September 2008, questionnaires about patients involved in H2S suicides were sent to 250 hospitals in Japan. Data collected from each patient included gender, age, clinical manifestations, date...
متن کاملBrief Motivational Intervention to Reduce Alcohol Consumption in Young Patients in an Emergency Department: The AURAIA Research Study
Background: Sixty-two percent of the young people between 16 to 24 years-old living in the catchment area of the study take 5 glasses and more in one occasion as compared to 45.8% in the entire France. Previous studies showed that if the alcohol consumption starts earlier, the risk for alcohol dependence increases at the adult age. In some countries, the motivational intervention has been alrea...
متن کاملذخیره در منابع من
با ذخیره ی این منبع در منابع من، دسترسی به آن را برای استفاده های بعدی آسان تر کنید
عنوان ژورنال:
دوره 12 شماره
صفحات -
تاریخ انتشار 2017