Illicit drug and XXXX users admitted to the pediatric emergency department.

@entity167 @entity1 @entity1068 @entity734
BACKGROUND: Clinicians' impression of adolescents' @entity167 or drug involvement may underestimate substance-related pathology. OBJECTIVES: To describe the characteristics of adolescents presenting to the pediatric emergency department due to @entity734 and to determine whether physicians can reliably identify these @entity1 . METHODS: We conducted a prospective cohort study of all @entity1 aged 12-18 years presenting to a pediatric emergency department between 1 January 2005 and 31 December 2006 for whom a urine drug screen or @entity1068 blood levels was ordered. According to departmental protocol, urine drug screen and @entity1068 levels are taken for specific indications. Based on the history and clinical findings the pediatrician in the ED assessed on a 5-point likelihood scale the possibility that the @entity1 ' symptoms were related to @entity734 . RESULTS: Of the 139 @entity1 in the study group 40 (30%) tested positive for @entity1068 or drugs of abuse. The median age was 16. Compared with @entity1 who tested negative, there were more @entity1 with decreased level of consciousness among @entity1 who tested positive for @entity1068 or drugs (5% vs. 33% respectively, P < 0.001). The median physician estimate for the likelihood of @entity734 was 5 in @entity1 who tested positive and 2 in @entity1 who tested negative (P< 0.001). The likelihood of a positive drug/ @entity1068 test was not affected by age or gender. CONCLUSIONS: The likelihood of @entity734 is higher in @entity1 presenting with a low level of consciousness, Physicians may accurately assess the likelihood of @entity734 in these @entity1 .
