Consumption of Alcohol Upon Admission to the Emergency Department in Patients With Trauma

Aim
For 2016, around 32.5% of the population consumed alcoholic beverages. This is related to 1.6% of the disability-adjusted life years. Also, an association is described between trauma severity and a positive alcohol test on admission to the emergency room. In Colombia, the prevalence of alcohol consumption during the last year is 17.8–42.5%. However, the prevalence of alcohol consumption upon admission to emergency services is unknown. We aim to estimate the prevalence of alcohol consumption in cases admitted to an emergency room.

Methods
This was a cross-sectional study. Data were collected during four months in an emergency room located in a fourth-level hospital. Researchers interviewed participants to complete a questionnaire, additionally, a qualitative alcohol test was carried out with an alcohol-sensor FST, and the AUDIT-C scale was used to screen for alcohol abuse.

Results
In 2524 patients, there was a prevalence of alcohol consumption on admission to the emergency room of 2.34%, and a median result of the quantitative test of 1.22 mg/ml. We found that as ethanol levels increased, there was a greater potential for discrimination among the patients who identified themselves with potential risky consumption based on the scale score.

Conclusions
Alcohol consumption is associated with high morbidity in patients admitted to the emergency room. This can increase the burden of disease and affect the quality of life. It is pertinent to recognize alcohol consumption as a possible focus to mitigate the impact of this condition on the well-being of patients and resources allocation.