Screening for Harmful Alcohol Use in Trauma Settings

Screening for harmful alcohol in hospital trauma settings is recognized as a critical step in identifying patients at high risk of future injury and adverse health outcomes. Promising findings have been reported with regard to the efficacy of brief interventions conducted in trauma settings for reducing harmful alcohol use, risk of future injury, and alcohol-related traffic offences. Despite recommendations from professional governing bodies and broad consensus among key stakeholders pointing to the value of identifying and treating trauma patients drinking at harmful levels, routine screening and intervention for harmful alcohol use in trauma settings has not been widely adopted. This chapter highlights best practice methods for identifying trauma patients drinking at harmful levels, identifies some of the real-world challenges of administering routine screening for harmful alcohol use in trauma settings, and goes on to provide recommendations for managing this crucial, yet frequently neglected, aspect of trauma recovery.