Developing best practices of emergency care for the alcohol impaired patient : recommendations from the National Conference, Washington, D.C., June 2, 2000.

This report presents the results of the National Conference: Developing Best Practice Standards of Emergency Care for the Alcohol-Impaired Patient. The conference was convened in response to Strategy III, Action III-d of the Partners in Progress: An Impaired Driving Guide for Action report. The main objectives of this conference were (1) to describe a comprehensive public health approach to the reduction of alcohol-related injuries, focusing on those that are motor vehicle related; (2) to interpret available research on identification and intervention in the emergency setting; (3) formulate "best practice standards" for use by prehospital professionals, emergency rooms and trauma centres. A major outcome of the conference was the consensus to change the Best Practice Standards to "Best Practices". The attendees felt strongly that this group was not yet prepared to recommend standards based on the current research, and that Best Practices was the more appropriate term. (Author/publisher)