Screening for alcohol problems in hospitalized trauma patients presents a unique set of circumstances from both a logistic and methodological standpoint. Primary Purpose: To report on the validity of self-reported alcohol use immediately prior to unintentional injury in two study populations. Secondary Purpose: To explore methodological issues in using the Timeline Followback (TLFB) procedure during hospitalization to determine pre-injury drinking patterns. Methods: We compared blood alcohol levels at the time of hospital admission to self-reported alcohol consumption in the hours immediately prior to injury in patients injured in car crashes (n=159) and in non-vehicular injury (n=50). Data on self-reported drinking were collected by the TLFB method. Results: The Pearson correlation between laboratory blood alcohol concentration (BAC) and estimated BAC was r=0.43 (p<0.001). An accuracy measure was formed by subtracting the person's BAC from the estimated BAC, with a grand mean of -78.40 mg/dL, meaning the average subject under-reported alcohol consumption or over-reported the length of time s/he had been drinking. There was a significant effect due to driver/nondriver status such that drivers under-reported more than nondrivers. Methodological issues include: length of time to interview, usefulness of the TLFB calendar, extrapolation of drinking patterns from the data, and the role of injury in patient recruitment and interview. Conclusions: After injury, most hospitalized trauma patients report the general patterns of their drinking, although they under-report the amount of alcohol they consumed prior to injury. The TLFB method can be used with hospitalized subjects to obtain drinking patterns prior to hospitalization.
Learning Objectives: Discuss measurement issues in self-reported alcohol consumption following unintentional injuries
Keywords: Alcohol Use, Injuries
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.