Citation

Blondell RD, Looney SW, Hottman LM, Boaz PW. J. Addict. Dis. 2002; 21(4): 1-12.

Affiliation

University of Louisville School of Medicine, Department of Family and Community Medicine, KY, USA. Richard.Blondell@louisville.edu

Copyright

(Copyright © 2002, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1300/J069v21n04_01

PMID

12296497

Abstract

Of 1320 patients who were hospitalized for injuries, a total of 315 were known to be intoxicated with alcohol at the time of trauma. A retrospective chart review was performed to determine which biopsychosocial markers correlated with increasing severity of alcohol use disorders in a sample of 184 (58.4%) of these 315 patients. Markers associated with increased severity were: an increased mean corpuscular volume (MCV; p = 0.007), previous legal problems (p = 0.023), previous alcohol rehabilitation (p < 0.001), previous attendance at self-help meetings (p < 0.001), admitting to having an alcohol problem (p < 0.001), and a willingness to change drinking behavior (p < 0.001). Routine toxicology screening tests, simple questions about previous alcohol or drug abuse treatment, and direct questions about the patient's own perception of the severity of disease and readiness to change drinking behavior can identify many victims of major trauma who could potentially benefit from a referral for alcohol rehabilitation.

Language: en