Citation

Hides L, Limbong J, Vallmuur K, Barker R, Daglish M, Young RM. Drug Alcohol Rev. 2014; 34(2): 177-184.

Affiliation

Centre for Youth Substance Abuse Research, Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, School of Psychology and Counselling, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2014, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/dar.12218

PMID

25303680

Abstract

INTRODUCTION AND AIMS: The rate of alcohol-related emergency department (ED) presentations in young people has increased dramatically in recent decades. Injuries are the most common type of youth alcohol-related ED presentation, yet little is known about these injuries in young people. This paper describes the characteristics of alcohol-related ED injury presentations in young people over a 13-year period and determines if they differ by gender and/or age group (adolescents: 12-17 years; young adults: 18-24 years). DESIGN AND METHOD: The Queensland Injury Surveillance Unit (QISU) database collects injury surveillance data at triage in participating EDs throughout Queensland, Australia. A total of 4667 cases of alcohol-related injuries in young people (aged 12-24 years) were identified in the QISU database between January 1999 and December 2011, using an injury surveillance code and nursing triage text-based search strategy.

RESULTS: Overall, young people accounted for 38% of all QISU alcohol-related ED injury presentations in patients aged 12 years or over. The majority of young adults presented with injuries due to violence and falls, whereas adolescents presented due to self-harm or intoxication without other injury. Males presented with injuries due to violence, whereas females presented with alcohol-related self-harm and intoxication.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: There is a need for more effective ways of identifying the degree of alcohol involvement in injuries among young people presenting to EDs. [Hides L, Limbong J, Vallmuur K, Barker R, Daglish M, Young RMcD. Alcohol-related emergency department injury presentations in Queensland adolescents and young adults over a 13-year period. Drug Alcohol Rev 2014].

Language: en