A new report in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs released that more than 11,000 people who had been using drugs were treated in U.S. emergency departments for injuries while patients were riding bicycles. The report covered the years 2019 to 2020.
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Rate of Injuries Covered by the Study
According to lead author Hammig and his co-author Robert Davis, Ph.D., intoxicated bicyclists frequently have more severe injuries than other victims. Fractures (22%) and injuries to internal organs (19%) were among the reported injuries in the study, and nearly one-third of patients required hospital admission. Concussions made up just 1% of injuries, whereas drug overdoses were to blame for 8% of crashes. Victims who passed away at the site were excluded from the data because the data was collected at the hospital.
Male patients made up a disproportionate amount of the population (86.4%). Methamphetamine (36.4%), cannabis (30.7%), and opioids (18.5%) were the most frequently discovered drugs in the systems of accident victims. Over a quarter of patients were also reported to have alcohol in their systems.
When these patients visit the emergency room, it is crucial to treat their injuries as well as refer them to drug rehab in an effort to intervene and stop more adverse drug-related events from occurring, according to Hammig.
Preventing Bicycle Injuries with Intoxicated Bikers
Since it is unlikely that the person was riding the bike for exercise, the study's authors speculate that common injury-prevention strategies like wearing a helmet and creating better bike lanes may not be sufficient to decrease these incidences.
Instead of using a car for transportation, these bicyclists may be riding because of conditions connected to a drug use disorder, such as homelessness, a license suspension due to a prior conviction for driving while drunk, or financial hardship.
According to Hammig, this is a group that is frequently disregarded and neglected when discussing bicycle injuries but one that stakeholders like emergency room staff, drug treatment facilities, and transportation officials need to take into account when trying to prevent future injuries.
Research Findings on Bicycle Injuries
Hammig and Davis examined 2019-2020 data from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System, a hospital-based database, to conduct their study. Estimating the number of events across the nation is possible due to statistics from the system's nationally representative sample of American hospitals.
According to Medical Xpress, the researchers in this study extracted all information on bicycle accidents associated with the use of psychoactive substances, apart from alcohol, during the study period.
Of the total estimated 480,286 bicycle injuries during that study period, they calculated that there were 11,314 such injuries, or 2.6% of the total.
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Intevention to People Suspected of Drug Intoxication
People who are addicted to drugs typically deny that their drug use is a problem, according to Mayo Clinic. They are also hesitant to get help. An intervention might inspire someone to seek or accept help by giving them an organized opportunity to make adjustments before circumstances get worse. An intervention should be properly prepared.
Family, friends or coworkers under the supervision of an intervention specialist or mental health professional may carry out the intervention.
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