Alcohol‐related harm in emergency departments: a prospective, multi‐centre study
Background and aims Emergency department (ED) alcohol‐related presentation data are not routinely collected in Australia and New Zealand. It is likely that previous research has underestimated the numbers of patients presenting with alcohol‐related conditions. This study aimed to quantify the level...
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Published in | Addiction (Abingdon, England) Vol. 113; no. 4; pp. 623 - 632 |
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Main Authors | , , , , , |
Format | Journal Article |
Language | English |
Published |
England
Blackwell Publishing Ltd
01.04.2018
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Subjects | |
Online Access | Get full text |
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Summary: | Background and aims
Emergency department (ED) alcohol‐related presentation data are not routinely collected in Australia and New Zealand. It is likely that previous research has underestimated the numbers of patients presenting with alcohol‐related conditions. This study aimed to quantify the level of alcohol harm presenting to EDs in Australia and New Zealand [Correction added on 23 Jan 2018, after first online publication: The ‘aims’ section was missing and is updated in this version].
Design
Multi‐centre, prospective study. Patients were screened prospectively for alcohol‐related presentations during a 7‐day period in December 2014. Part 1 involved screening to determine alcohol‐positive ED presentations and data collection of patient demographic and clinical information. Part 2 involved a consent‐based survey conducted with patients aged ≥ 14 years to perform Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) scores.
Setting
Eight EDs in Australia and New Zealand, representing differing hospital role delineations.
Participants
A total of 8652 patients aged ≥ 14 years attended and 8435 (97.5%) were screened.
Measurements
The main outcome measure was the proportion of patients who had an alcohol‐related presentation termed ‘alcohol‐positive’, using pre‐defined criteria. It included injuries, intoxication, medical conditions and injuries caused by an alcohol‐affected third party. Secondary outcomes included demographic and clinical information, the type of alcohol‐related presentations and AUDIT scores.
Findings
A total of 801 [9.5%; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 8.9–10.1%] presentations were identified as alcohol‐positive, ranging between 4.9 and 15.2% throughout sites. Compared with alcohol‐negative patients, alcohol‐positive patients were more likely to be male [odds ratio (OR) = 1.90, 95% CI = 1.63–2.21], younger (median age 37 versus 46 years, P < 0.0001), arrive by ambulance (OR = 1.94, 95% CI = 1.68–2.25) or police/correctional vehicle (OR = 4.56, 95% CI = 3.05–6.81) and require immediate treatment (OR = 3.20, 95% CI = 2.03–05.06). The median AUDIT score was 16 (interquartile range = 10–24).
Conclusions
Almost one in 10 presentations to emergency departments in Australia and New Zealand are alcohol related. |
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Bibliography: | ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23 |
ISSN: | 0965-2140 1360-0443 |
DOI: | 10.1111/add.14109 |