Last drinks: A study of rural emergency department data collection to identify and target community alcohol‐related violence

Objective The present study summarises the methodology and findings of a pilot project designed to measure the sources and locations of alcohol‐related harm by implementing anonymised ‘last drinks’ questions in the ED of a rural community. Methods ‘Last drinks’ questions were added to computerised triage systems at South West Healthcare ED in rural Warrnambool, Victoria, from 1 N ovember 2013 to 3 J uly 2014. For all injury presentations aged 15 years or older, attendees were asked whether alcohol was consumed in the 12 h prior to injury, how many standard drinks were consumed, where they purchased most of the alcohol and where they consumed the last alcoholic drink. Results From 3692 injury attendances, 10.8% ( n  = 399) reported consuming alcohol in the 12 h prior to injury. ‘Last drinks’ data collection was 100% complete for participants who reported alcohol use prior to injury. Approximately two‐thirds (60.2%) of all alcohol‐related presentations had purchased their alcohol at packaged liquor outlets. During high‐alcohol hours, alcohol‐related injuries accounted for 36.1% ( n  = 101) of all ED injury presentations, and in total 41.7% of alcohol‐related attendances during these hours reported consuming last drinks at identifiable hotels, bars, nightclubs or restaurants, or identifiable public areas/events. Conclusions This pilot demonstrates the feasibility and reliability of implementing sustainable ‘last drinks’ data collection methods in the ED , and the ability to effectively map the source of alcohol‐related ED attendances in a rural community.