The role of a substance abuse consultation team in a trauma center.

OBJECTIVE

Trauma is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the U.S., and substance abuse makes an enormous contribution to this problem as well as to the increased cost of health care. A substance abuse consultation (SAC) team was developed to evaluate and intervene with trauma victims who are suspected of having problems with alcohol and/or other drugs. This study was undertaken to determine the effectiveness of this service.

METHOD

This study is a retrospective review of 100 consecutive trauma admissions who were felt to be at high risk for substance abuse and were referred to the SAC team for evaluation and intervention. This study was undertaken in a tertiary care teaching hospital in a cooperative effort between the trauma center and the addictions program.

RESULTS

All 100 patients were diagnosed with psychoactive substance use disorders and 78 were referred for alcohol and other drug rehabilitation. Of these patients, 62% accepted a referral for drug and alcohol treatment.

CONCLUSIONS

From these preliminary data, it appears that a SAC team may be effective in intervening with hospitalized trauma patients who have alcohol and other drug problems.