ED Use High Before and After Self-Inflicted Injury Among Youths
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 21, 2024 -- The rates of emergency department (ED) use are high before and after self-inflicted injury among youths, according to a study published online Aug. 15 in JAMA Network Open.
Samaa Kemal, M.D., M.P.H., from the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, and colleagues conducted a retrospective cohort study of ED encounters by youths aged 5 to 18 years with self-inflected injuries to examine ED use 90 days before and 90 days after self-inflicted injury.
A total of 15,593 ED encounters by youths (median age, 15 years) were identified and included in the analysis. The researchers found that 24.2 percent of youths had an ED encounter within 90 days before an index injury; 71.8 percent of these occurred in general EDs and 38.2 percent were for mental or behavioral health. Youths with public insurance and those living in rural areas had higher adjusted odds of having an ED encounter within 90 days before an index visit (adjusted odds ratios, 1.77 and 1.31, respectively). Overall, 26.7 percent of youths had an ED encounter within 90 days after an index injury; 69.2 percent occurred in general EDs, and 47.9 percent were for mental or behavioral health. Higher odds of having an ED encounter within 90 days after an index visit were seen for those with public insurance, living in rural areas, and living in micropolitan areas (adjusted odds ratios, 1.72, 1.21, and 1.29, respectively).
"We found high rates of ED use by youths before and after self-inflicted injury," the authors write. "This finding suggests an opportunity for ED-based interventions, such as suicide risk screening, safety planning, and linkage to services."
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 August 2024
Read this next
Late-Life Mood Disorders May Indicate Predisposition to Dementia
MONDAY, June 30, 2025 -- Alzheimer disease (AD) and diverse non-AD tau pathologies may contribute to late-life mood disorders (LLMDs), according to a study published online June 9...
Addictive Screen Use Tied to Suicidal Behaviors in Early Adolescence
FRIDAY, June 27, 2025 -- Both high and increasing addictive screen use trajectories are associated with suicidal behaviors and worse mental health in early adolescence, according...
Paternal Mental Distress Linked to Poorer Offspring Development
WEDNESDAY, June 25, 2025 -- Paternal mental distress is associated with poorer child development, according to a study published online June 16 in JAMA Pediatrics. Genevieve Le...
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.