title: Last drinks: A study of rural emergency department data collection to identify and target community alcohol-related violence.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The present study summarises the methodology and findings of a pilot project designed to measure the sources and locations of alcohol-related harm by implementing anonymised 'last drinks' questions in the ED of a rural community.
  
  
  METHODS
  'Last drinks' questions were added to computerised triage systems at South West Healthcare ED in rural Warrnambool, Victoria, from 1 November 2013 to 3 July 2014. For all injury presentations aged 15 years or older, attendees were asked whether alcohol was consumed in the 12 h prior to injury, how many standard drinks were consumed, where they purchased most of the alcohol and where they consumed the last alcoholic drink.
  
  
  RESULTS
  From 3692 injury attendances, 10.8% (n = 399) reported consuming alcohol in the 12 h prior to injury. 'Last drinks' data collection was 100% complete for participants who reported alcohol use prior to injury. Approximately two-thirds (60.2%) of all alcohol-related presentations had purchased their alcohol at packaged liquor outlets. During high-alcohol hours, alcohol-related injuries accounted for 36.1% (n = 101) of all ED injury presentations, and in total 41.7% of alcohol-related attendances during these hours reported consuming last drinks at identifiable hotels, bars, nightclubs or restaurants, or identifiable public areas/events.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This pilot demonstrates the feasibility and reliability of implementing sustainable 'last drinks' data collection methods in the ED, and the ability to effectively map the source of alcohol-related ED attendances in a rural community.
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: Nicolas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Droste
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, Deakin University, Warrnambool, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: Tim
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Baker
authors.affiliation: South West Healthcare, Warrnambool Campus, Warrnambool, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: Cathreena
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gervis
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology*; D019973:Alcohol-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D004327:Drinking Behavior; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D033181:Information Dissemination; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011322:Primary Prevention / Q000379:methods; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012424:Rural Population; D018571:Sentinel Surveillance; D014739:Victoria / Q000453:epidemiology; D014754:Violence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: alcohol; data sharing; emergency department; injury; violence