In the largest survey of alcohol harm in emergency departments undertaken in Australasia, the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine (ACEM) has demonstrated that alcohol harm is having a devastating effect on patients and clinicians in Australia and New Zealand.

In the survey of over 2000 ED doctors and nurses, released today at St Vincent's Hospital, Melbourne, 92% of respondents reported having experienced assaults or physical threats from drunk patients in the last 12 months and 98% had experienced alcohol-related verbal aggression.

Incidents reported include:

  • a heavily pregnant ED nurse threatened with being punched in the stomach
  • an ED physician knocked unconscious and left with concussion and vomiting
  • a heart attack patient too intimidated by a drunk patient in the next cubicle to ask for help.

"This confirms what we have known for a long time," said Dr Diana Egerton-Warburton, Lead Researcher for the survey, "ED clinicians are sick and tired of violence from drunk patients and how it affects their ability to treat other patients."

She added, "It's time for policy makers and society to say, 'Enough is enough'. This violence is preventable with good public health policies."

Leeanne Trenning, National Executive Director of the College for Emergency Nursing Australasia (CENA), said that emergency nurses often bear the brunt of alcohol-related aggression: "Nurses are being subjected to violence and abuse from the very people they're trying to help. Intoxicated patients take up too much of our time and their behaviour negatively impacts the entire ED."

Dr Anthony Cross, ACEM President, said the College is calling on governments to take more action to prevent alcohol-related harm. "We need a serious commitment to implement the policies we know can make a difference," he said.

Dr Cross added that alcohol-related presentation data arenot collected in Australia and New Zealand. "Collection of such data would provide a clear picture of the extent of alcohol-related harm and help inform policy decisions."

"ACEM also recommends the introduction of a screening, brief intervention and referral for treatment program for alcohol-affected patients in Australasian emergency departments. International research suggests that 'Brief Intervention'' can be an effective tool to identify and reduce harm from alcohol," he said.

A snapshot survey conducted by ACEM in December 2013 found that up to one in three presentations to some EDs in Australasia were alcohol-related. Dr Diana Egerton-Warburton called for urgent interventions to restrict alcohol availability in "hot spots" as part of a commitment to reducing harms in emergency departments and the community.

AMA response to survey: Emergency Department Survey Reinforces The Need For National Leadership On Alcohol Harms

AMA President, A/Prof Brian Owler, said today that the latest survey of alcohol harm in hospital emergency departments is further proof that national leadership from the Federal Government is needed to change Australia's drinking culture.

The Australasian College of Emergency Medicine (ACEM) 'Enough is Enough' Survey consulted more than 2000 emergency department doctors and nurses in Australia and New Zealand about their experiences with drunk patients.

A/Prof Owler said the survey results are disturbing, and illustrate the strain that alcohol-related behaviour and violence imposes on stressed hospital staff and resources, and the economic burden placed on the Australian health system.

"The survey lifts the lid on the alcohol-fuelled violence that doctors and nurses and other patients in emergency departments have to deal with," A/Prof Owler said.

"Emergency department workers have had enough of dealing with drunks being violent, disorderly, and offensive, and physically harming staff and other patients.

"A significant proportion of emergency department resources provide life-saving care to people who have consumed too much alcohol, or people who have been harmed by people who have consumed too much alcohol.

"If we can change the drinking culture to promote more responsible use of alcohol in the community, we will have fewer drunks and people injured by drunks in our emergency departments."

A/Prof Owler said that initiatives to address alcohol-related harms in the Australian community were discussed at last week's AMA National Alcohol Summit in Canberra.

"There is an urgent need in Australia for a whole-of-government strategy to coordinate and drive action to address alcohol related harms," A/Prof Owler said.

"Excessive alcohol consumption is having a widespread impact on our community and our health.

"Seventy nine per cent of Australians - 18.5 million people - have serious concerns with our drinking culture.

"We are calling on the Government to invest more in public education and campaigns, and to regulate the way that alcohol is advertised and marketed, especially in sport and to young people.

"One of the simplest and most cost-effective changes is to mandate labelling on alcohol products.

"The Australian Government must provide leadership to address the significant health and social impacts of alcohol misuse and abuse.

"More than half of Australian drinkers consume alcohol in excess of the recommended intake, and one in five Australians drink alcohol at a level that puts them at risk of lifetime harm from injury or disease.

"The health, social, and economic burden caused by alcohol in Australia is substantial and unacceptable. Alcohol-related violence, chronic disease, accidents, and deaths occur frequently.

"These incidents harm not only the individual drinker, but also families, bystanders, and the wider community.

"The range and extent of alcohol-related harms are alarming. Even more alarming is that the number of people harmed by alcohol is increasing.

"We need a National Alcohol Strategy to take a multi-pronged approach to stamping out the culture of excessive alcohol consumption in Australian society," A/Prof Owler said.

The AMA National Alcohol Summit Communique is available at https://ama.com.au/media/ama-national-alcohol-summit-communique

All the presentations and details of the recent AMA National Alcohol Summit are available at https://ama.com.au/alcoholsummit