Abstract
The impact of alcohol use on the workload of two accident & emergency departments in north-west England was assessed by blood alcohol concentration (BAC) measurement, inspection of clinical records and interview of all patients aged 16 and over attending throughout a two-week period. The frequency of intoxication was similar to the previous reported rate in Scotland: 13.2% of all patients had a positive BAC. Inebriated injured patients arrived at all times of the day--varying in frequency from 2.5% of midday attenders to 78% of those presenting after midnight. The incidence of alcohol-related industrial accidents was low, but 60% of all assaulted patients were inebriated, many having sustained head injuries. Of patients attending within 2 hours of an accident at home, 19% also had a positive BAC, but 92% of those with ankle sprains were sober. Patients in lower social classes reported higher rates of alcohol consumption. The popularity of beer in comparison to wines and spirits was inversely related to age and unrelated to social class. Alcohol abuse is commonly associated with injuries sustained at home and with assaults occurring in public places. Prevention campaigns directed at the reduction of these types of incidents should be as concerned with the inebriation of the patient as with the architectural, environmental and legal framework within which the 'accident' occurs.
Full text
PDF
Selected References
These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.
- Cartwright A. K., Shaw S. J., Spratley T. A. The relationships between per capita consumption, drinking patterns and alcohol related problems in a population sample, 1965--1974. Part II: implications for alcohol control policy. Br J Addict Alcohol Other Drugs. 1978 Sep;73(3):247–258. doi: 10.1111/j.1360-0443.1978.tb00151.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Crawford A., Plant M. A., Kreitman N., Latcham R. W. Regional variations in British alcohol morbidity rates: a myth uncovered? II: population surveys. Br Med J (Clin Res Ed) 1984 Nov 17;289(6455):1343–1345. doi: 10.1136/bmj.289.6455.1343. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Cummins R. O., Shaper A. G., Walker M., Wale C. J. Smoking and drinking by middle-aged British men: effects of social class and town of residence. Br Med J (Clin Res Ed) 1981 Dec 5;283(6305):1497–1502. doi: 10.1136/bmj.283.6305.1497. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Haskey J. C., Balarajan R., Donnan S. P. Regional variations in alcohol related problems within the United Kingdom. Community Med. 1983 Aug;5(3):208–219. doi: 10.1007/BF02548547. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Honkanen R., Visuri T. Blood alcohol levels in a series of injured patients with special reference to accident and type of injury. Ann Chir Gynaecol. 1976;65(4):287–294. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Kilich S., Plant M. A. Regional variations in the levels of alcohol-related problems in Britain. Br J Addict. 1981 Mar;76(1):47–62. doi: 10.1111/j.1360-0443.1981.tb00207.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Latcham R. W., Kreitman N., Plant M. A., Crawford A. Regional variations in British alcohol morbidity rates: a myth uncovered? I: Clinical surveys. Br Med J (Clin Res Ed) 1984 Nov 17;289(6455):1341–1343. doi: 10.1136/bmj.289.6455.1341. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Lings S., Jensen J., Christensen S., Møller J. T. Occupational accidents and alcohol. Int Arch Occup Environ Health. 1984;53(4):321–329. doi: 10.1007/BF00380671. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Wechsler H., Kasey E. H., Thum D., Demone H. W., Jr Alcohol level and home accidents. Public Health Rep. 1969 Dec;84(12):1043–1050. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Yates D. W., Hadfield J. M., Peters K. The detection of problem drinkers in the Accident & Emergency Department. Br J Addict. 1987 Feb;82(2):163–167. doi: 10.1111/j.1360-0443.1987.tb01455.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]