Physicians' attitudes regarding reporting alcohol‐impaired drivers¹

This work was presented in part at the American College of Emergency Physicians Scientific Assembly Research Forum on October 16, 2001 in Chicago, Illinois.

Abstract

Our objective was to examine attitudes on reporting alcohol‐impaired drivers by physicians of different specialties who are most likely to treat motor vehicle crash (MVC) patients. Specific objectives included examining 1) degree of comfort with reporting to police or Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), 2) variability in attitudes across specialties surveyed, 3) perceived barriers to reporting, and 4) general attitudes on treating alcoholism. Physicians reported that they felt more comfortable with reporting to a medical review board of DMV than to police in all three of the case examples, which included treating a patient who is a clinically diagnosed alcohol‐impaired MVC driver (66% DMV report, 36% police report), MVC driver at legal limit of blood alcohol concentration (63% DMV report, 32% police report), and an MVC driver with a very high blood alcohol concentration (81% DMV report, 53% police report). There was no difference between specialties in comfort with reporting, though emergency medicine physicians were less likely to screen and refer patients for counseling. The primary reasons given for not reporting an alcohol‐impaired driver were physician‐patient confidentiality and perceived threat of civil action by patients.

Key words:

• alcohol‐impaired drivers
• motor vehicle crash
• emergency department
• physician reporting

Notes

This work was presented in part at the American College of Emergency Physicians Scientific Assembly Research Forum on October 16, 2001 in Chicago, Illinois.

Injury Prevention Center, Department of Emergency Medicine, Rhode Island Hospital and Miriam Hospital, Brown Medical School, Providence, Rhode Island.

Injury Prevention Center, Department of Emergency Medicine, Rhode Island Hospital, Brown Medical School, Providence, Rhode Island.

Kent Hospital, Warwick, Rhode Island.

To whom correspondence should be addressed at Injury Prevention Center, Department of Emergency Medicine, Rhode Island Hospital, 593 Eddy Street, Providence, Rhode Island 02903; e‐mail: [email protected].

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Michael J. Mello

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