Review Utah Emergency Room data at - http://sites.google.com/site/utahcountycoalition/data-collection-workgroup). Answer the following questions:
- Overall, how do geographic areas within your county compare on the consequence data rates? Do any stand out as high or low? Discuss differences.
- Do you think the data accurately reflect the related problems in the community? Why or why not?
- What does the trend data available for the consequences suggest in the different geographic areas? Is the problem increasing, decreasing, or staying the same? Discuss differences and patterns.
- Do the consequences in some geographic areas appear to be more of a problem than in others? Why?
- Are there differences in patterns of consequences between age groups?
- Are there differences in patters of consequence between gender?
- Are there differences in patterns of consequences between age and gender and location?
1 comment:
NOTE: ANALYSIS PERFORMED BY DR. NELSON
Narcotic Data
Geography:
From 2006-2008, there is a striking preponderance of narcotic-related ER visits (per 100,000 population) from individuals in communities in south Utah County from Springville south:
a. Payson ER narcotic-related visits (Mountain View Hospital) show that 1202 of 1244 visits per 100,000 population (96.6%) were by individuals from these communities.
b. IHC ER narcotic-related visits (American Fork Hospital, Orem Community Hospital, Utah Valley Regional Medical Center) show 98 of 145 visits per 100,000 (67.6%) were by individuals from communities from Springville south. All IHC hospital emergency rooms are located north of Springville; yet south Utah County communities are still disproportionately represented in narcotic-related visits.
Payson ER narcotic-related visits (per 100,000 population of represented communities) total a whopping NINE TIMES the number (per 100,000 population of represented communities) to all three IHC ERs combined.* These visits from Payson and surrounding communities in south Utah County to Payson ER accurately reflect the word on the street that "if you're looking for drugs, Payson is the place to find them."
Gender: Combined IHC/Payson ER gender data reveal 54% of narcotic-related visits were by males, 46% by females; both sources were very similar. Male visits predominated until the mid-to-late twenties, when female visits surged and sometimes surpassed male visits into the late sixties and mid seventies.
Age: Payson ER data show greater numbers of visits for age groups from 20-39, whereas IHC ER data show greater numbers of visits for age groups from 20-34 and a lower peak for age groups from 40-59.
Trend: Provo, Springville, Orem, Spanish Fork, and Payson all showed increases in narcotic-related visits to IHC ERs from 2006-2008. American Fork showed a decrease.
Alcohol Data
Geography:
From 2006-2008, alcohol-related ER visits per 100,000 population were primarily by individuals from communities in south-central Utah County-Springville (with 235 visits per 100,000), Provo, Spanish Fork, and Mapleton. The Payson area also had significant numbers of alcohol-related ER visits per 100,000 (Payson 117; Santaquin, 184). The communities of Orem, American Fork, and Salem were represented to a lesser extent (68-91). Fewer still alcohol-related visits per 100,000 population came from Lindon, Pleasant Grove, and Lehi (19-50); Eagle Mountain had only 11 per 100,000.
IHC hospital ERs drew 1130 of all alcohol-related visits; Mountain View ER in Payson drew only 165.* There was generally a downward trend in alcohol-related ER visits from 2006 to 2008 (IHC ER data).
Gender: Males dominated alcohol-related ER visits 65% compared to 35% for females overall. (Note significant exception in age analysis).
Age: Both IHC and Payson ER data show increasing numbers of visits from age groups 25-29 and older, peaking at ages 45-49 (females equal to or higher than males), then decreasing.
*Timpanogos ER (Orem) data are not available.
Summary
The nature or outcomes of these ER visits were not made available for analysis. No ethnic data, no insurance data, nor any data pertaining to prescription narcotic or illegal narcotic use were presented. There was no medical history. Also, there were no data relating individual employment, educational, or socioeconomic status; also none pertaining to family dynamics. There were no demographic or economic data from the communities represented. Such information would be helpful in attempting to explain, for example, geographic patterns of narcotic-related ER visits and alcohol-related ER visits among females ages 45-49.
Post a Comment