Due to copyright issues, an electronic copy of the thesis must be ordered from the faculty. For the faculty to have time to process the order, the order must be received by the faculty at the latest 2 days before the public defence. Orders received later than 2 days before the defence will not be processed. After the public defence, please address any inquiries regarding the thesis to the candidate.
Trial Lecture – time and place
See Trial Lecture.
Adjudication committee
- First opponent: Docent Fredrik Kugelberg, Linköping University,
- Second opponent: Professor Anne-Sofie Helvik, NTNU - Norwegian University of Science and Technology,
- Third member and chair of the evaluation committee: Associate professor Sigurd Høye, University of Oslo
Chair of the Defence
Associate Professor Christine Råheim Borge, University of Oslo
Principal Supervisor
Professor Stig Tore Bogstrand, University of Oslo
Summary
Psychoactive substance use is harmful to health and is common among medicinal patients in emergency departments (EDs). Most alcohol-related studies in EDs focus on injured patients and short-term alcohol use. Routine screening for psychoactive substance use is uncommon in EDs, likely leading to under-detection. Patients with multimorbidity, who often take multiple psychoactive medications and may drink regularly, are at risk for worse health outcomes. Alcohol and other psychoactive substances can negatively affect treatment.
The aims of this thesis were to assess alcohol use prevalence in EDs in Norway and Russia, and to explore the links between psychoactive substance use, multimorbidity, psychological distress, and ED admissions by reviewing medical records, using blood samples and self-reports.
Alcohol use was similarly high in Oslo and Moscow EDs, but drinking patterns differed. Psychological distress was more prevalent among risky drinkers in Oslo, but an association between alcohol use and psychological distress was found in both cities.
More than half of the Oslo ED population had multimorbidity, and the prevalence of psychoactive substance use and multimorbidity increased with age. Around 20% of multimorbid patients combined alcohol with psychoactive drugs. An association was found between multimorbidity and both psychoactive medication use and risky alcohol use. ED admissions were more likely among patients with risky alcohol use or those consuming more than 30 alcohol units per week.
Risky alcohol use plays a significant role in many health issues and is linked to ED admissions. Biomarkers detecting alcohol use, combined with brief self-report questionnaires, may be valuable for identifying alcohol use in EDs. Over half of the Oslo ED population had multimorbidity, with high rates of substance use, underlining the importance of addressing substance use in the care of these patients.
Additional information
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