How Often Is Alcohol a Factor in Emergency Room Visits?

Because alcohol impairs psychomotor performance and judgment, one would expect that problem drinking might be common among patients in hospital emergency departments (see Journal Watch Psychiatry Dec 18 2006). These researchers analyzed data from screening interviews administered over 18 months to patients at an emergency department in an academic medical center in Switzerland. Patients were interviewed between 11 AM and 11 PM, during which 90% of emergency visits occurred.

Among the 8599 interviewees, 58% of whom were being treated for trauma, 523 women (13%) and 1507 men (33%) were “at-risk” drinkers (women, >7 drinks/week or >3 drinks/occasion; men, >14 drinks/week or >4 drinks/occasion). Patients older than 50 were more likely to be dail…