Opioid Poisoning Among Children Skyrockets

By Jonathan Springston, Assistant Editor, AHC Media

The rate of children and adolescents hospitalized for opioid poisoning increased an alarming 165 percent between 1997 and 2012, according to a study published this week.

Researchers from the Yale School of Public Health, using data collected by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, studied thousands of hospital discharge records. They found the highest hospitalization rates among older adolescents, but determined the largest percentage increase in hospitalizations over time occurred among toddlers and preschoolers.

The study noted these patients likely overdosed on pills prescribed to another family member. Specifically, researchers estimated rates were particularly high among these young Americans because teens are more susceptible to depression and suicide while toddlers may mistake pills for candy.

“Our research, however, suggests that poisonings by prescription and illicit opioids are likely to remain a persistent and growing problem in the young unless greater attention is directed toward the pediatric community, who make up nearly one-quarter of the U.S. population,” the authors concluded. “A combination of public health interventions (e.g., parental education), policy initiatives, and consumer-product regulations is needed to reduce pediatric exposure to opioids. In addition, further resources should be directed toward addressing opioid misuse and abuse during adolescence. Of particular importance are prevention programs that address the overlap in opioid misuse and depression among adolescents. Finally, for clinicians who treat acute and chronic pain in children, national clinical practice guidelines for opioid prescribing that include pediatric-specific recommendations are urgently needed."

The October issue of ED Management was a special issue that focused on the opioid epidemic, spotlighting various ways EDs across the country are trying to manage addiction and decrease the rate of opioid prescriptions. Additionally, the upcoming December issue of ED Management examines improving care coordination for substance abuse patients, specifically how some administrators are embedding addiction counselors in the ED, as well as the role emergency physicians can play.

For even more news, policies, and methods of controlling the opioid epidemic, check out AHC Media’s recently published universal premium, The Opioid Epidemic: New Policies, Treatments, and Non-Opioid Alternatives.