What is the burden of alcohol-related injuries in an inner city emergency department?

Abstract

BackgroundThe annual cost to the NHS of alcoholrelated injury and illness is estimated to be £2.7 billion. Alcohol-related violence has become a concerning public health issue. This study set out to establish the burden of alcohol-related violence in an inner city UK emergency department (ED). Methods This single centre study was undertaken in the ED of the Bristol Royal Infirmary. This department serves an inner city population. An independent researcher administered a questionnaire to every patient who attended during the study period. A questionnaire was also administered to the treating clinician to ascertain the diagnosis, and whether the patient's attendance was related to alcohol use. Results 14% (n¼111) of participants felt that their attendance at the ED was related to alcohol. 11% of all injured patients felt it was due to alcohol consumption. 3% of patients attended with an alcohol-related illness. The treating clinicians reported that 21% of all patients in this study attended with a problem either directly or indirectly attributable to alcohol. Discussion The number of attendances attributable to alcohol-related injury and illness was at least 14% of all patients. One third of patients presenting with an alcohol-related illness or injury required admission to hospital. If these figures are extrapolated, the number of patients presenting with alcohol-related injury is in excess of 7000 attendances to the Bristol Royal Infirmary annually, or nearly 2 million ED patients every year in England and Wales, resulting in 640 000 admissions.The total cost to the NHS of alcohol-related injuries and illnesses is estimated to be £2.7 billion a year, 1 2 with alcohol-related crime, assaults and disorder costing a further £7.3 billon.3 Alcohol-related harm is estimated to cost society between £17.7 billion and £25.1 billion per year. 4 In a recent study Benger and Carter 5 found that accidents and assaults were the most common cause of alcohol-related attendance to the emergency department (ED). Alcoholrelated violence has become a concerning public health issue.6 7 Hazardous drinking has been defined as the regular consumption of over 5 units a day for men and over 3 units a day for women.8 Uncontrolled drinking leads to public disorder, violence and long-term health problems. Recent research has suggested a sharp increase in harmful and hazardous drinking patterns amongst young adults, and the Chief Medical Officer has warned that Britain's 'binge drinking culture' is damaging greater numbers of young people than ever before.

Does legislation to prevent alcohol sales to drunk individuals work? Measuring the propensity for night-time sales to drunks in a UK city

“…In the UK, alcohol is attributed to more than one in five deaths in those aged 16–24 years 3. Around two million presentations to English emergency departments (ED) annually are alcohol-related, with patients most likely to be young males,4 contributing to a service nearing collapse 5. While much of the health harms in young people are accounted for by acute conditions, such as road traffic injury, suicide and violence,3 they are also increasingly affected by chronic alcohol-related conditions such as liver disease 6.…”

Alcohol‐related violence presenting to the emergency department: Is ‘glassing’ the big issue?

“…Whereas daily consumption of alcohol among Australians reduced between 2007 and 2010, the number of people drinking at a risky level increased along with the proportion of physical abuse victims citing abuse by an intoxicated person . Treating the physical and mental impacts of alcohol‐related violence is a significant financial cost to the health service . Alcohol‐related presentations place a burden on hospital resources, which compounds the problem of ED overcrowding and timeliness of care and impacts on staff safety .…”

“…3 Treating the physical and mental impacts of alcohol-related violence is a significant financial cost to the health service. 4 Alcohol-related presentations place a burden on hospital resources, which compounds the problem of ED overcrowding and timeliness of care and impacts on staff safety. 5 Therefore, alcohol-related harm impacts not only on individual drinkers, but on family, public services and the wider community.…”

HNO-Notfallversorgung mit besonderem Blick auf die Gruppe alkoholisierter Patienten

“…Jüngere Patienten sind selten, was in Hamburg für eine konsequente Überwachung des Jugendschutzgesetzes und dem darin enthaltenen Verbot zum Ausschank von Alkohol an Jugendliche unter 18 Jahre spricht [ 7 ] . Um die Anzahl stark alkoholisierter Partygänger zu reduzieren wurde in der Hansestadt Hamburg seit dem 01.09.2011 der Verzehr alkoholischer Getränke im öff entlichen Nahverkehr verboten [ 8 ] Notaufnahme mit 21 % [ 10 ] . Alle durch Alkohol ausgelösten Kosten für das britische Gesundheitswesen werden pro Jahr mit bis zu 25 Milliarden Pfund geschätzt [ 11 ] .…”