Alcohol and the accident and emergency department: a current review.
Alcohol misuse constitutes a major problem in our modern society and both physical and mental alcohol-related harm result in a large number of Accident and Emergency (A&E) attendances, thus imposing a significant burden on the workload and financial resources of the department. The current management of problem drinking by most A&E departments could be further improved. The introduction of a holistic approach that includes efficient screening instruments and effective brief, anti-alcoholic interventions, for the management of these patients must be considered. This should strengthen the preventive role of A&E departments, and, in the long term, may result in a decrease in the number of cases of alcohol misuse and in alcohol-related attendances.
Charalambous
Michalis P
MP
Imperial College of Science, Technology, and Medicine, St Mary's Hospital Medical School Campus, Norfolk Place, London W2 1NY, UK.
D000059:Accidents; D019973:Alcohol-Related Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000191:economics / Q000628:therapy; D004630:Emergencies; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000191:economics*; D006801:Humans