Should alcohol screening be a routine practice in alcohol-related facial trauma care? A narrative review

Abstract

The link between alcohol intoxication and Emergency Department (ED) attendance for management of alcohol-related injuries has been well documented. The acute settings such as ED and surgical wards may not be the most appropriate environment for treatment of chronic conditions, but traumatic episode presentation to ED may offer the most opportunistic time to focus on screening against harmful alcohol use in order to provide timely feedback and support. Although ED provides an opportunity to identify patients with alcohol problems, the initial challenge is finding suitable ways to identify and screen affected patients. This paper is a narrative review on methods of alcohol screening and its effectiveness and efficacy in trauma care setting. It is second part in a series on implementation of screening and brief intervention in managing trauma patients.