Assessment of substance use among injured persons seeking emergency care in Nairobi, Kenya

INTRODUCTION: Trauma is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in Kenya. In many countries, substance use is common among patients presenting with injuries to an emergency center (EC). OBJECTIVE: To describe the epidemiology of self-reported substance use among adult injured patients seeking ED care in Nairobi, Kenya. METHODS: This prospective cross-sectional study, assessed patients presenting with injuries to the Kenyatta National Hospital ED in Nairobi, Kenya from March through June of 2021. Data on substance use, injury characteristics and ED disposition were collected. Substances of interest were alcohol, stimulants, marijuana, and opiates. The Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test-Concise (AUDIT-C) tool was used to characterize hazardous alcohol use. RESULTS: A total of 1,282 patients were screened for participation, of which 646 were enrolled. Among participants, 322 (49.8%) reported substance use in the past month (AUDIT-C positive, stimulants, opiates, and/or marijuana). Hazardous alcohol use was reported by 271 (42.0%) patients who screened positive with AUDIT-C. Polysubstance use, (≥2 substances) was reported by 87 participants in the past month. Median time from injury to ED arrival was 13.1 h for all enrolees, and this number was significantly higher among substance users (median 15.4 h, IQR 5.5 - 25.5; p = 0.029). CONCLUSIONS: In the population studied, reported substance use was common with a substantial proportion of injured persons screening positive for hazardous alcohol use. Those with substance use had later presentations for injury care. These data suggest that ED programming for substance use disorder screening and care linkage could be impactful in the study setting.