Alcohol Screening and Brief Intervention (SBI) for Trauma Patients. Committee on Trauma Quick Guide

摘要

Addiction to alcohol is not the countrys only problem with alcohol. For every U.S. adult who is dependent on alcohol, more than 6 other adults who are not dependent are at risk of or have already experienced problems from their drinking. Many of these at-risk drinkers incur injuries that require trauma center services. The triangle on the right shows that even if we were able to cure the 3.3% who are dependent, we would not have addressed the largest portion of the U.S. alcohol problem: the 22.7% who are not dependent but have experienced problems or have significant risks related to their drinking.1 For the purposes of this document, these individuals engage in at-risk drinking. They drink at levels that place them at elevated risk for future alcohol-related problems, and some may already have suffered injuries (e.g., ended up in a trauma center). However, they are not dependent on alcohol. Not surprisingly, a high proportion of these atrisk drinkers find their way to trauma centers, where almost 50% of patients can have positive blood alcohol concentrations (BAC). Despite the prevalence of alcohol-related risk and problems, trauma centers do not currently provide screening and effective brief intervention as part of routine care. Because excessive drinking is a significant risk factor for injury, it is vital for trauma centers to have protocols in place to identify and help patients. Trauma centers are in an ideal position to take advantage of the teachable moment generated from an injury by implementing screening and brief intervention (SBI) for at-risk and dependent drinkers.