Emergency department (ED) encounters for sexual assault increased before the COVID-19 pandemic, decreased immediately after lockdowns were implemented, and fluctuated as the pandemic continued, an analysis of more than 10,000 such visits in Canada’s most populous province shows. Dr Katherine Muldoon “In 2020, we hoped that the COVID pandemic would only last a few months. … Read more
Visits to emergency departments (EDs) following sexual assault increased 15-fold from 2006 through 2019, as determined from a national database of visits to hospitals in the United States. Data from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) show an increase in reported rapes and sexual assaults (SAs) since 2006, and studies of victims show an increased … Read more
The number of children and teens who die from gun violence in the United States on a given day could fill a typical high school classroom, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). Preventing accident-related injuries and deaths in children and youth “demands a public safety approach like regulation of motor vehicles,” the group … Read more
Overdose prevention centers (OPCs) decrease overdose risk and curb public use of illicit drugs, according to early data from the first two federally sanctioned centers in the United States — both in New York City (NYC). In 2020, 2062 people died of a drug overdose in NYC — the deadliest year on record for the … Read more
Screening adolescents for signs of depression does not reduce their emergency department visits, hospitalizations, or treatment for suicidal behaviors, according to research published on July 8 in Preventive Medicine. Adolescents who underwent a depression screening were just as likely to need these services as those who did not. In 2016, the US Preventive Services Task … Read more
Mothers with previous subfertility have increased risk for postpartum mental illness, compared with mothers who conceived spontaneously, according to a new study. In a population-based cohort study that examined almost 800,000 births, the adjusted relative risk (RR) for postpartum mental illness was 1.14 in women with subfertility, compared with women without reproductive assistance. The magnitude … Read more
Mental health hospitalization rates rose for Canadian children and youth between ages 5 and 24 years in 2020, despite a slight decrease in the overall number of hospital visits, according to new data. Hospitalizations for eating disorders increased significantly, rising nearly 60% for girls between ages 10 and 17 years. “One of the key questions … Read more
Black patients presenting with psychiatric disorders to hospital emergency departments (EDs) across the US have significantly higher rates of chemical restraint than their white counterparts, new research shows. Results of a national study showed Black patients presenting to the ED were 63% more likely to receive chemical sedation than white patients. The investigators also found … Read more
Caregivers who brought suicidal adolescents to the emergency reported safer gun storage department practices after fraud counseling ― a crucial way to cut gun deaths among children, according to researchers from Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. In the study, which took place between June 2021 and February 2022, gun safety counseling and handouts were provided to 99 … Read more
A 10-minute visit with a therapy dog leads to clinically significant reductions in pain and anxiety and improved well-being in patients attending the emergency department (ED), results of a randomized controlled trial show. “This did not occur among those that did that not visit with a therapy dog. This gives us confidence in the intervention,” … Read more