Alcohol use can become a contributing factor to bodily injury, and patients who visit a trauma center to receive treatment for injuries take part in the process of screening and brief intervention (SBI) to identify those patients who might have issues with substance use and ensure they receive the addiction recovery treatment they require.
However, while extensive research has been performed regarding the efficacy of SBI in identifying drinkers who may be at risk in level 1 trauma centers, minimal research has been performed on patients who visit level 2 trauma centers.
To better understand how patients visiting a level 2 trauma center might have different needs than level 1 trauma center patients, a retrospective study was conducted.
This study examined Computerized Alcohol Screening, brief Intervention, and referral to treatment (CASI) results for patients at a level 1 trauma center and compared them with the CASI results of patients at a nearby suburban hospital which qualified as a level 2 trauma center.
The study then compared patterns of demographic factors and drinking habits between the two groups.
The results revealed that there was no difference between the language, gender, or average age of the patients at the two centers — meaning the demographic information was comparable at both the level 1 and level 2 trauma centers.
However, the results also revealed that… (continue reading)
