Social services referral of adolescent trauma patients admitted following alcohol-related injury

Alcohol screening of severely injured patients should be universal. Hospita lization following alcohol-related injury provides an opportunity for inter vention to reduce recidivism. This study examines the frequency of social s ervices referral of an alcohol positive cohort of adolescent trauma patient s. This was a retrospective analysis of data collected from 1994 through 19 98 by the National Pediatric Trauma Registry. All patients between the ages of 12 and 17 who had a blood alcohol level (BAL) measured were analyzed. P atients receiving referral to the department of social services, family cou nseling, or addiction services, and those receiving any substance abuse edu cation intervention were considered a positive referral. There were 6006 ch ildren age 12 to 17 included in the database during this five-year period, 751 of whom had a BAL measured. Of those screened, 15.5% were positive. Six ty-eight (59%) of the BAL positive patients were referred for intervention through social services. The only statistically significant predictor of re ferral was whether or not the patient was the operator of a vehicle involve d in the motor vehicle collision. Nearly half of the adolescents in this st udy, who screened positive for alcohol, received no social services support . (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.