Effect of a wraparound care emergency department intervention on substance misuse among youth injured by violence

Abstract

There is a growing concern surrounding youth injured by violence. Violent injuries are the fourth most common cause of death and the leading reason for a youth to visit an emergency department (ED) in Canada. Youth who have sustained their first violent injury have been shown by numerous studies to have a higher risk of trauma recidivism and are at risk to return to the hospital for new assault injuries. Alcohol and drug use has been suggested as a principal risk factor for victimization and trauma recidivism. Assault-injured youth seeking ED care show higher levels of substance use than their comparison group, with 20.8% of these youth reporting substance use before the injury and higher odds for substance misuse in the past 6 months.

For this study, a chart review was conducted on youth aged 14-24 years enrolled in a randomized control trial for the Emergency Department Violence Intervention Program (EDVIP) in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Enrollment required presenting with an injury caused by interpersonal violence. The program delivered wraparound care to the injured youth, providing individualized care management based on their needs and risk factors. Information from patient charts was gathered on substance use and compared to the control group of youth who did not receive the intervention. The purpose of the study was to identify if visits related to substance use decreased with the intervention. It is our hypothesis that the wraparound care model will decrease the number of visits to the ED related to substance use.