Performance of an emergency department observation unit protocol in reducing length of stay for acetaminophen overdose: a retrospective study

INTRODUCTION: Acetaminophen is one of the most common causes of poisoning among developed countries. The emergency department observation unit (EDOU) has been increasingly used in the management of various conditions to reduce hospitalisation but its efficacy in not well studied in management of poisoned patients. In this study, we aim to study the effectiveness of our EDOU in the management of acetaminophen overdosed patients. RESULTS: Medical records of patients admitted from the emergency department from 2012 to 2016 for acetaminophen overdose were reviewed. One hundred ninety-five patients presenting with acetaminophen overdose were admitted to the EDOU while 184 were admitted to the general ward. Of these, 27 patients admitted to EDOU did not meet the admission criteria for it while 71 patients who met EDOU criteria were admitted to the ward instead. For patients who fulfilled EDOU admission criteria, median length of stay for EDOU patients was 23 h (IQR 19–24) while that for those admitted to the ward was 66 h (IQR 62.5–88.3). CONCLUSION: The EDOU is a safe alternative to hospitalisation for patients presenting with acetaminophen poisoning. It is also associated with a shorter length of stay for such patients. Further studies need to be done to assess the cost-effectiveness of EDOU for management of patients presenting with acetaminophen overdose.