Annals of emergency medicine
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Over the past decade, there has been a dramatic increase in pediatric emergency department (PED) visits seeking mental and behavioral health care. We aimed to determine the relationship between hours of care devoted to patients with mental and behavioral health complaints and markers of PED throughput and timeliness. ⋯ In our single-center study, the increase in mental and behavioral health visits and hours of care was associated with significantly worsened PED throughput and timeliness of care metrics. This relationship highlights the challenges that PEDs face in caring for mental and behavioral health patients while simultaneously providing high-quality care to patients with acute nonmental and behavioral health emergencies.
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Addition of illicitly manufactured fentanyl to the opioid and nonopioid illicit drug supply has exacerbated the drug overdose crisis in the United States. People who use drugs are often unaware that their drugs contain fentanyl. Awareness about fentanyl adulteration may be protective against fatal overdose. ⋯ Many drug-related ED visits involved fentanyl exposure, even when individuals did not believe they were using fentanyl. Knowledge of fentanyl adulteration can inform people who intend to use opioid and/or nonopioid drugs about harm reduction approaches, such as distribution of fentanyl test strips and educational interventions.