Alcohol consumption and motivation to reduce drinking among emergency care patients in Sweden

Abstract

This study compares the alcohol consumption and motivation to reduce drinking among injured and non injured patients in a Swedish emergency department (ED). Patients aged 18–69 registered at the ED triage room were requested to answer alcohol-related questions on a touch-screen computer. Injury patients drank alcohol significantly more often than patients without injuries and in a significantly higher typical quantity than non-injury patients, yielding a significantly larger average weekly consumption. However, there were no significant differences between injury and non-injury patients with regard to heavy episodic drinking. As a consequence of injury patients being younger and more often male in comparison with non-injury patients nearly all differences between the two patient groups disappeared when controlling for age and sex. There were no significant differences in motivation to reduce drinking between injury and non-injury patients. There were small differences in the drinking variables and motivation to reduce drinking between injury patients and non-injury patients.

Keywords:

• alcohol consumption
• injury and non-injury patients
• emergency department
• computerised concept

Acknowledgements

This study was supported by grants from the Swedish National Rescue Services Agency. Sincere thanks to the Motala ED staff.