The University of Buffalo Reports that Drug Abuse Could Triple Annual ER Visits

The purpose of regular health check-ups with a primary care physician is for an individual to take the opportunity to maintain good health throughout their life. Obviously, emergencies do happen, but the overall goal of maintaining one’s good health is to greatly reduce the chances of this happening. Unfortunately, health care is not usually at the forefront of a drug abuser’s mind. In fact, they may have little attention on their overall health and well-being until something dramatic occurs, at which point their health requires emergency care.

Drug Abuse and ER Visits

According to a recent study titled “Frequent Emergency Department Utilization and Behavioral Health Diagnosis” and led by Jessica Castner at the University of Buffalo, tobacco smokers are four times more likely than non-smokers to become frequent visitors of emergency rooms. Castner is an assistant professor in the UB School of Nursing and an emergency room utilization researcher and participated in the study in order to help shed light on whether more individuals are replacing regular visits with their primary care physicians with trips to hospital emergency rooms.

The study was published in Nursing Research and outlines the fact that Americans who suffer from chronic diseases visit both primary care physicians and emergency rooms equally and that medical care visits overall have soared in recent years. There are certainly a rare few individuals who reported visiting the emergency room forty to fifty times, but in looking at the entire population as a whole, there is a different pattern occurring. Rather than people seeking to replace their primary care doctor, they seem to generally be sicker, using drug substances more and suffering from more chronic diseases. In other words, the overall health of the entire population seems to be on a steady decline, and drug abuse and addiction problems may be largely to blame.

Individuals who turn to drug use in answer to some life problem may shortly find that these substances are unable to solve their problems, and only temporarily suppress the symptoms of their problems. The individual is then forced to continue using these substances in order to continue experiencing relief, which drives them onto the path of drug abuse and addiction. Eventually, the individual discovers that they cannot function without the use of drug substances, and they are driven to compulsively continue their drug use despite the destructive consequences. Since they have no control over their own life and choices, it is normally not until drugs have caused them extensive health problems that they seek help, and even then it’s often only to recover enough health just to return to drug use.

The Strain on Healthcare

As much as emergency room visits have increased recently, they may continue to increase as more and more individuals obtain health insurance coverage under the Affordable Care Act. Individuals who are suffering from various health complaints and who currently don’t receive any sort of medical treatment may take the opportunity if they have appropriate health insurance coverage. While this may seem good in that more individuals will receive the care they need, it, unfortunately, may put a greater financial strain on health insurers, patients, and the overall health care system. By analyzing data gathered by the Department of Health in 2009 from roughly fifty-six thousand individuals, Castner and her peers discovered that individuals who suffer from chronic diseases are not the only high-volume users of emergency rooms. Tobacco and drug use more than triples an individual’s likelihood of visiting emergency rooms three or more times every year, making it clear that more action must be taken to address and resolve these problems.