TABLE 1.
Demographics and clinical characteristics of 15 Southern California Kaiser Permanente emergency department (ED) encounters for patients before (January 1, 2018‒December 31, 2018) and after (January 1, 2019‒December 31, 2019) implementation of a California naloxone mandate.
| Total (N = 1,110,152) | 2018 (N = 533,860) | 2019 (N = 576,292) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age group | |||
| 10‒15 | 46,504 (4.2%) | 22,342 (4.2%) | 24,162 (4.2%) |
| 16‒22 | 61,589 (5.5%) | 30,121 (5.6%) | 31,468 (5.5%) |
| 22‒34 | 149,306 (13.4%) | 70,875 (13.3%) | 78,431 (13.6%) |
| 35‒50 | 185,300 (16.7%) | 88,904 (16.7%) | 96,396 (16.7%) |
| >50 | 667,453 (60.1%) | 321,618 (60.2%) | 345,835 (60%) |
| Sex | |||
| Female | 634,792 (57.2%) | 304,875 (57.1%) | 329,917 (57.2%) |
| Race/ethnicity | |||
| Hispanic | 456,078 (41.1%) | 217,908 (40.8%) | 238,170 (41.3%) |
| White | 385,835 (34.8%) | 187,322 (35.1%) | 198,513 (34.4%) |
| Black | 150,152 (13.5%) | 72,838 (13.6%) | 77,314 (13.4%) |
| Asian | 92,094 (8.3%) | 43,870 (8.2%) | 48,224 (8.4%) |
| Pacific Islander | 8029 (0.7%) | 3832 (0.7%) | 4197 (0.7%) |
| Other | 8036 (0.7%) | 3594 (0.7%) | 4442 (0.8%) |
| Unknown | 4200 (0.4%) | 1742 (0.3%) | 2458 (0.4%) |
| Multiple | 3408 (0.3%) | 1656 (0.3%) | 1752 (0.3%) |
| Native American/Alaskan | 2320 (0.2%) | 1098 (0.2%) | 1222 (0.2%) |
| Disposition | |||
| Admission | 233,304 (21%) | 114,038 (21.4%) | 119,266 (20.7%) |
| Charlson comorbidity categories | |||
| 0 | 417,145 (37.6%) | 195,941 (36.7%) | 221,204 (38.4%) |
| 1 | 230,103 (20.7%) | 110,275 (20.7%) | 119,828 (20.8%) |
| 2 | 141,499 (12.7%) | 67,838 (12.7%) | 73,661 (12.8%) |
| 3+ | 321,405 (29%) | 159,806 (29.9%) | 161,599 (28%) |
| Length of stay (among hospitalized patients) | |||
| N | 120,870 | 60,113 | 60,757 |
| Mean (SD) | 4.3 (6.13) | 4.3 (6.04) | 4.3 (6.21) |
| Died within 30 days after ED visit | |||
| Yes | 20,377 (1.8%) | 9971 (1.9%) | 10,406 (1.8%) |
| History of substance use disorder in the past 12 months before ED visit | |||
| Yes | 85,508 (7.7%) | 42,513 (8%) | 42,995 (7.5%) |
| Opioid and benzodiazepine prescriptions in the past 12 months before ED visit | |||
| Yes | 175,344 (15.8%) | 90,947 (17%) | 84,397 (14.6%) |
| Daily MME >90 in the past 12 months before ED visit | |||
| Yes | 7266 (0.7%) | 4327 (0.8%) | 2939 (0.5%) |
Abbreviations: MME, morphine milligram equivalents; SD, standard deviation.