Faculty Bibliography

Background: Substance use (SU) is common among ED patients, with 1 in 10 ED users having an alcohol or drug use disorder. ED patients also have high levels of social needs such as homelessness and food insecurity. Yet, little research has examined how such social determinants of health (SDOH) intersect with SU among ED patients. In this study, we compared the prevalence of several SDOH among ED patients who did and did not screen positive for unhealthy alcohol and drug use. Methods: We surveyed a random sample of ED patients at a NYC public hospital from Nov 2016-Sept 2017. Eligible patients were >=18 years old, medically/psychiatrically stable, not in prison/police custody, and spoke English or Spanish. RA shifts occurred during all days of the week and hours of the day. RAs administered a 20-40 minute survey with validated single-item screeners for unhealthy alcohol and drug use and questions on self-reported past year social needs from national surveys or prior studies. We compared prevalence of SDOH by SU screening status in bivariate analyses with chisquare tests. Results: About half of patients (52.0%) approached were ineligible, primarily because they were medically unfit, intoxicated, or in prison/police custody. 2,396 of 2,925 eligible patients participated (81.9%); 76 duplicate patient records were removed, leaving a final sample size of 2,321 patients. Nearly one-third (32.3%) screened positive for unhealthy alcohol use and 21.8% for any drug use. Regarding SDOH, rates among patients overall vs. those with unhealthy alcohol use vs. those with drug use were: 1) homelessness 13.8%, 18.7% (X2 p<0.01 for difference between those who did vs. did not screen positive), 25.8% (p<0.01); 2) housing instability 25.2%, 29.5% (p<0.01), 35.9% (p<0.01); 3) food insecurity 50.9%, 56.3% (p<0.01), 63.4% (p<0.01); 4) inability to meet essential expenses 40.8%, 45.9% (p<0.01), 52.7% (p<0.01); and 5) unemployment 43.3%, 45.1% (p=0.23), 55.1% (p<0.01). Conclusion: Rates of homelessness and other social needs were high among ED patients in this study, suggesting the importance of considering SDOH in emergency medicine practice. We add to prior literature by showing that these needs were even higher among patients who screened positive for SU. These findings are important, as patients' significant comorbid social needs may affect the success of ED-based efforts to address substance use