Alcohol, drugs, and road traffic injuries in an emergency department in Mexico City.

There have been no studies reporting on the use of biological specimens in Mexico to analyze the prevalence of alcohol and drug use among Emergency Department (ED) patients with a road traffic injury (RTI). We report here on a sample of 304 adult patients, admitted to the ED of a public hospital in Mexico City from January to April 2022, after being involved in an RTI. Patients gave informed consent for a breath test measuring breath alcohol concentration (BAC) and a saliva screening test for six classes of drugs (amphetamines, barbiturates, benzodiazepines, cannabis, cocaine, and methamphetamine). We found that at least one in every four patients (27.6%) had traces of alcohol or drugs in their body upon arrival in the ED. The breath test found a positive BAC in 16.1% of the sample; the most common substances detected in saliva were amphetamines or methamphetamine (8.6%), followed by cocaine (7.0%) and cannabis (6.9%). Only a few variables differentiated those with positive BAC from those with negative BAC (male, arriving on a weekend day or night, and arriving by ambulance), and even fewer variables differentiated those testing positives for drugs than those testing negative (less than 13 years of education and drivers of cars, bicycles, or other vehicles). While alcohol continues to be the single most used substance, our findings indicate that stimulants are of great concern. Since those testing positives for alcohol or drugs are so similar in their demographic pattern to those testing negative, the introduction of biological testing as a routine practice in the ED is highly recommended. Routine testing makes it possible to provide the patient with the best treatment and is also the best way to assess substance use.

Road traffic injuries and substance use in Latin America: A systematic review.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study is to identify and report the epidemiological patterns of substance use on fatal and non-fatal road traffic injuries (RTIs) in Latin America. METHODS: A systematic review identified all published studies from January 2010 through October 2020. Twenty-eight studies were included from PubMed and SciELO databases. The Newcastle-Ottawa scale was used to assess the methodological quality of the studies. RESULTS: The prevalence of alcohol consumption in fatal RTIs in studies where 100% of the target population were tested varies from 15.3% up to 55% in Brazil; with respect to non-fatal RTIs, it varies from 9.1% in car drivers in Brazil to 24.1% in emergency patients in Argentina. The most studied drug other than alcohol was cannabis, present in 6.5% up to 20.8% of non-fatal RTIs cases, but lower rates of testing for drugs was reported. Few studies reported epidemiological association measures. CONCLUSIONS: This article shows that scientific production on substance use and RTIs in the region is limited and reports the prevalence of substance use, with few estimates of the relative risk of drug use and RTIs.

Proceso de atención de enfermería en pacientes deprimidos / Nursing care process in depressed patients

El objetivo de este artículo es dar a conocer un proceso de atención a pacientes con depresión, aplicando el modelo de atención de Dorothea E. Orem, el cual aborda las medidas preventivas más importantes que debe conocer el paciente y la familia, como son: dieta, ejercicio y conocimiento del padecimiento. El proceso se presenta en forma de cuadros para facilitar su manejo y comprensión. Asimismo, pretende dejar la inquietud sobre lo conveniente de emplear modelos de atención de enfermería en problemas de salud que requieren una atención continua por parte del equipo de salud y un conocimiento y compromiso hacia el autocuidado por parte del paciente.

The aim is to provide a process of care for patients with depression using the care model Dorothea E. Orem, this addresses the most important preventive measures that must know the patient and family, such as diet, exercise, knowledge of the condition. The process is presented in tabular form for ease of handling and understanding, is intended to make the concern about how convenient to use models of nursing care in health problems that require ongoing attention by the health team and an understanding and commitment to self-care by the patient.