Alcohol has been shown to be a significant risk factor for injury. Emergency departments (EDs), where injured patients are treated daily, are a particularly appropriate setting for screening for alcohol use problems. However, physicians do not universally address alcohol’s role in injuries; reasons include the busy clinical environment of EDs, variable and changing state laws, physicians’ imprecise estimation of the scope of the problem, and patchy dissemination of information about measures for addressing alcohol issues. This report provides background information on alcohol-related injury, screening, and interventions, describes the Screening for Our Safety (SOS) project, and discusses the potential utility of SOS as a mechanism by which interested organizations could partner with emergency physicians to reduce impaired driving in their communities. The objectives of the SOS project were to create an online educational program for emergency physicians on alcohol use disorders and injury, to increase awareness of the need to screen ED patients for alcohol use disorders, and to present potential interventions for patients who screen positive. Alcohol screening methods presented in the curriculum included quantity/frequency assessment, standardized instruments to assess risky alcohol use, and/or blood alcohol testing. The project involved two phases. In phase 1, an interactive online curriculum for emergency physicians was developed on alcohol-related injuries, screening for alcohol use, brief interventions, referral for treatment, and reporting of impaired drivers. In phase 2, the curriculum was tested and evaluated with emergency physicians in Rhode Island. (Author/publisher)
Samenvatting