Patients leaving hospital despite advice likelier to OD: study [Video]

People who leave the hospital against medical advice are 10 times more likely to suffer an overdose compared to those who leave after being discharged by a doctor, according to a new study in the Canadian Medical Association Journal that examined health data on hospital admissions in British Columbia between 2015 and 2019.

A new study has found that patients in B.C. who left hospitals against medical advice were 60 per cent more likely to suffer an overdose within a month of leaving when risk factors were considered.

The study, published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal on Monday, was led by researchers at the University of B.C.

It examined nearly 190,000 hospital stays in the province between 2015 and 2019. Of those, 6,440 (3.4 per cent) resulted in a “before medically advised” (BMA) discharge. In other words, they left against their doctor’s advice.

Among that cohort, the study found that when risk factors — like age, sex and …

Tags Canadian, Health, Health Canada