Recent Findings From EM Investigators: “Drug Misuse Among Pediatric Patients: Encounters in the Prehospital Field”

The study, published in the N.C. Medical Journal, included several current and former UNC faculty members and students. 

Because of the need for more data describing prehospital pediatric substance misuse, this study sought to characterize substance misuse in North Carolina pediatric patients receiving emergency medical services (EMS) care.

Researchers conducted a retrospective cross-sectional study of patients aged <16 years transported by EMS for substance misuse. Data were obtained from a statewide repository including patients treated for confirmed or suspected misuse of marijuana, alcohol, benzodiazepines, opioids, stimulants, acetaminophen, antidepressants, or other drugs.

Research Conclusions:

EMS responded to a vast variety of drug misuse among pediatric patients, including prescription medications, alcohol, marijuana, and illicit drugs. Accidental ingestions occurred exclusively in infant/preschool ages and intent for recreation or self-harm primarily occurred in adolescents. By increasing awareness of the more common pediatric patient characteristics associated with the type and reason for drug use, EMS agencies can improve pediatric readiness among prehospital clinicians.

Contributors to the study included: A. Kyle Cecil, MD – former UNC Resident; Julianne M. Cyr, MPH – UNC Research Instructor; Hussein Ahmad, MD – UNC Medical School Graduate; Angela Strain, MD – UNC Child & Adolescent Psychiatry; Alexander B. Requarth, MS – Current UNC Medical School Student; and Jane H. Brice, MD – Chair of UNC Emergency Medicine. 

We invite you to learn more about the study and its findings via this link.