Rates of At‐risk Drinking among Patients Presenting to the Emergency Department with Occupational and Nonoccupational Injury

Abstract

Objectives: To compare the characteristics and rates of at‐risk drinking among patients presenting to the emergency department (ED) with occupational and nonoccupational injury. Methods: Cross‐sectional survey of injured patients presenting to a university hospital ED. Injured patients were prospectively identified, and consenting patients completed a survey including questions regarding quantity/frequency of alcohol use, TWEAK, CAGE, and work‐relatedness of injury. Major trauma and motor‐vehicle collisions were excluded. Demographic and injury information was obtained from the medical record. Patients with a TWEAK score ≥3, CAGE score ≥2, or who exceeded NIAAA quantity/frequency guidelines were defined as at‐risk drinkers. Analysis utilized the Student t‐test for continuous variables, and frequency and chi‐square analysis for categorical variables. Results: Among 3,476 enrolled patients, 766 (22%) had work injuries and 2,710 (78%) had nonwork injuries. Patients with work injuries were as likely as patients with nonwork injuries to be at‐risk drinkers; 35% of patients with an occupational injury and 36% of those with a nonoccupational injury were at‐risk drinkers (odds ratio = 0.96). Conclusions: Patients presenting to the ED with an occupational injury have rates of at‐risk drinking similar to other injury patients, and may be an important group in which to target brief alcohol interventions.