Emergency Services and Drug Abuse
Authors: STUART L. NIGHTINGALE
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (1975)

Editorials1 October 1975Emergency Services and Drug AbuseSTUART L. NIGHTINGALE, M.D., ROBERT A. DORMER, J.D., ROBERT L. DUPONT, M.D.STUART L. NIGHTINGALE, M.D.Search for more papers by this author, ROBERT A. DORMER, J.D.Search for more papers by this author, ROBERT L. DUPONT, M.D.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-83-4-569 SectionsAboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail ExcerptThe drug addict's and abuser's first encounter with the medical community is most likely to be at the hospital emergency room. Unfortunately, in the past, staffs of hospital emergency rooms have frequently failed in their responsibility to provide adequate and appropriate care to patients with drug abuse emergencies because they lacked knowledge about proper treatment. Other hospitals simply refused to treat the drug abuser because of an unwillingness to deal with this type of person. Even worse, many hospitals maintained a relation with local law enforcement authorities to whom all drug cases were reported. That policy insured that drug abusers,...References1. STEINBERGKARLINER AJ: The clinical spectrum of heroin pulmonary edema. Arch Intern Med 122:122-127, 1968 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar2. DUBERSTEINKAUFMAN JD: A clinical study of an epidemic of heroin intoxication and heroin-induced pulmonary edema. Am J Med 51:704-714, 1971 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. DOLEFOLDESTRIGGS VFH: Methadone poisoning. NY State J Med 71:541-543, 1971 MedlineGoogle Scholar4. BOURNE P (ed): A Treatment Manual for Acute Drug Abuse Emergencies. Rockville, Maryland, National Clearinghouse on Drug Abuse Information, 1974 Google Scholar5. JAFFESENAY JE: Methadone and L-methadyl acetate: use in management of narcotic addicts. JAMA 216:1303-1305, 1971 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar6. TORNABENE V: Narcotic withdrawal syndrome caused by naltrexone. Ann Intern Med 81:785-787, 1974 LinkGoogle Scholar7. FULTZSENAY JE: Guidelines for the management of hospitalized narcotic addicts. Ann Intern Med 82:815-818, 1975 LinkGoogle Scholar8. GREENENIGHTINGALEDUPONT MSR: Evolving patterns of drug abuse. Ann Intern Med 83:402-411, 1975 LinkGoogle Scholar9. DAWN 2-ANALYSIS. Washington, D.C., Drug Information Section, Special Programs Division, Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Department of Justice, 1974 Google Scholar10. Confidentiality of alcohol and drug abuse patient records. 40 Fed Reg 27802, 1975 Google Scholar This content is PDF only. To continue reading please click on the PDF icon. Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAuthors: STUART L. NIGHTINGALE, M.D.; ROBERT A. DORMER, J.D.; ROBERT L. DUPONT, M.D.Affiliations: National Institute on Drug Abuse Rockville, Maryland PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics Cited byCaracterísticas de los consumidores de opioides visitados en un servicio de urgenciasAge- and sex-related differences in patterns of drug overdose and abuse 1 October 1975Volume 83, Issue 4Page: 569-570KeywordsAddictsDrug abuseDrug policyDrugsEmergency departmentPatients ePublished: 1 December 2008 Issue Published: 1 October 1975 PDF downloadLoading ...