141st APHA Annual Meeting

In This section

279392
Predictors of impaired driving among injured emergency department patients who report risky drinking

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Valerie Strezsak, MS, CCRP , Department of Emergency Medicine, Injury Prevention Center, Rhode Island Hospital, Brown University, Providence, RI
Janette Baird, PhD , Department of Emergency Medicine, Injury Prevention Center, Rhode Island Hospital, Brown University, Providence, RI
Christina Lee, PhD , Department of Emergency Medicine, Injury Prevention Center, Rhode Island Hospital, Brown University, Providence, RI
Richard Longabaugh, EdD , Department of Emergency Medicine, Injury Prevention Center, Rhode Island Hospital, Brown University, Providence, RI
Ted Nirenberg, PhD , Department of Emergency Medicine, Injury Prevention Center, Rhode Island Hospital, Brown University, Providence, RI
Michael J. Mello, MD, MPH , Department of Emergency Medicine, Injury Prevention Center, Rhode Island Hospital, Brown University, Providence, RI
Background/Purpose: Impaired driving is a major public health concern; in 2010 over 10,000 people died in alcohol-impaired driving crashes, and many more were injured. This analysis seeks to determine screening questions that could identify injured patients with risky alcohol use presenting to the emergency department (ED) who might benefit from counseling regarding impaired driving. Methods: This cross-sectional study, which is nested within a larger randomized controlled trial, enrolled injured ED patients who screened positive for risky alcohol use based on the WHO's ASSIST. This analysis focuses on the first 684 participants enrolled from July 2010 through December 2012. Results/Outcomes: A total of 514 (75.2%) participants reported driving within the past 12 months. Of those, 143 (27.8%) reported driving after having “too much to drink” in the past 30 days. In the multivariable model, gender (odds ratio (OR) [95% confidence interval (CI)] 0.56 [0.36, 0.87] for females as compared to males), exceeding NIAAA drinking guidelines for weekly alcohol use (1.92 [1.26, 2.92]), or for binge alcohol use (3.38 [1.47, 7.76]), and having been in a motor vehicle crash (MVC) in the past 12 months (2.04 [1.34, 3.01]) remained significant predictors of impaired driving. Conclusions: Asking patients if they consume more than 7 (women) or 14 (men) drinks per week, if they consume more than 3 (women) or 4 (men) drinks on a single occasion, and if they have been in an MVC in the past year could identify those patients who may benefit from counseling regarding impaired driving.

Learning Areas:
Public health or related research

Learning Objectives:
Identify three factors associated with alcohol impaired driving among injured emergency department patients

Keywords: Alcohol, Injury

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am the coordinator of a federally funded grant evaluating alcohol and injury prevention interventions.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.