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A dedicated district poisons treatment unit: response to the College guidance on the management of deliberate self-harm

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

R. C. Scorer ,
P. Beck ,
J. Bisson ,
S. White  and
P. A. Routledge
R. C. Scorer
Affiliation:
Cardiff Community Healthcare, Cardiff
P. Beck
Affiliation:
Cardiff Poisons Treatment Unit, Llandough Hospital and NHS Trust Cardiff CF64 4XX
J. Bisson
Affiliation:
Cardiff Community Healthcare, Cardiff
S. White
Affiliation:
Cardiff Poisons Treatment Unit, Llandough Hospital and NHS Trust Cardiff CF64 4XX
P. A. Routledge*
Affiliation:
Cardiff Poisons Treatment Unit, Llandough Hospital and NHS Trust Cardiff CF64 4XX
*
∗Correspondence
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Abstract

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Aims and method

An examination of the activities of a district-wide dedicated admission unit for poisoned patients in Cardiff, Wales, between 1987 and 1997. Number of admission episodes, gender, drugs taken. intent, psychiatric diagnosis and disposal were recorded.

Results

Although the number of admission episodes almost doubled over the 10–year period, the median length of stay fell by almost half.

Clinical implications

The results suggest that a dedicated unit is a cost-effective model for the management of poisoned patients.

Type
Original papers
Information
Psychiatric Bulletin , Volume 23 , Issue 6 , June 1999 , pp. 352 - 355
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright
Copyright © 1999 The Royal College of Psychiatrists

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