Measuring alcohol and other drug use in trauma patients

Injuries result in substantial health, economic, and social costs. To reduce this burden, we must address cross-cutting risk factors for injury, including alcohol and other drug (AOD) use. This research examines the surveillance of AOD detections in patients presenting to hospital after injury, with a focus on non-transport injuries. Existing population-level surveillance measures for AOD-related injury events were inadequate, demonstrating the need to improve surveillance systems. Where reliable data on AOD-related injury events were available, AODs were detected in over one-third of non-transport injury cases. This highlights the need for strategies aimed at preventing non-transport injury events involving AOD use.