title: Use of blood alcohol concentration in resuscitation room patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To clarify the use of blood alcohol concentration (BAC) in the emergency department resuscitation room, by comparing it with a subsequent alcohol questionnaire and by surveying patients' attitudes to BAC testing.
  
  
  METHODS
  Observational study.
  
  
  METHODS
  273 resuscitation room patients at St Mary's Hospital, Paddington between August 2005 and February 2006.
  
  
  METHODS
  BAC comparison to questionnaire results, and attitudes to BAC testing.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The level of agreement between positive screening by questionnaire and a BAC of >80 mg/100 ml was low (kappa = 0.29, 95% confidence interval 0.12 to 0.46) because each test measures different aspects of drinking. Patients accepted the use of BAC tests in detecting alcohol use, though a small minority reported concerns over confidentiality.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Use of BAC testing complements later questionnaire screening to identify alcohol misuse in patients initially brought to the emergency department resuscitation room, providing results are fed back to the patient. Potential ethical, judicial and insurance concerns should not prevent the use of BAC when judged to be in the patient's best interest.
authors.affiliation: Accident and Emergency Department, St Mary's Hospital, Praed Street, London, UK.
authors.forename: Emese
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Csipke
authors.forename: Robin
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Touquet
authors.forename: Tim
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Patel
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Franklin
authors.forename: Adrian
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Holloway
authors.forename: Nicola
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Batrick
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Crawford
mesh_terms: D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000097:blood*; D019973:Alcohol-Related Disorders / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis; D001294:Attitude to Health; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000431:Ethanol / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008131:London / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008875:Middle Aged; D012151:Resuscitation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
chemical_list: D000431:Ethanol