The British Journal of Psychiatry 132: 467-472 (1978)
© 1978 The Royal College of Psychiatrists
Distribution of drug-related problems among London casualty departments
AH Ghodse and NS Rawson
A survey of patients with drug-related problems seen in London casualty
departments during the course of one month revealed 1,706 separate
incidents. In 477 cases the patients were dependent on drugs, and more than
40 per cent were dealt with by only five hospitals, all in the West End of
London. The remaining 1,229 incidents involved nondependent patients who
had taken a drug overdose, and these cases were distributed more evenly
between hospitals all over the Greater London area. The implications of
this study for service planning and for further monitoring of the patterns
of drug misuse are discussed.