Emergency patients often young, drunk
ABOUT five people a day arrive at Dunedin Hospital because they have drunk too much — one of whom will likely be in immediate or imminent danger of death.
Last year, the Southern District Health Board (SDHB) examined alcoholrelated presentations at its three emergency departments and found a similar pattern of drunken patients, mainly young men, cluttering the system and delaying care being given to other patients.
Queenstown’s reputation as a party town was borne out in the Lakes Hospital emergency department, where 71% of patients with ailments directly related to drinking were aged 1834.
Alcohol accounted for 1 in 20 of all patients who turned up at the Lakes emergency department, and doctors there treated an average of two people a day with preventable drinkingrelated problems.
In Southland, where there was a similar number of alcoholimpaired patients, 51% of them were aged 1834.
Half of all drunken patients in Dunedin were aged 1824 — while not all would be students, with the University of Otago and Otago Polytechnic close to the city’s hospital many would have been.
Otago University Students’ Association (OUSA) chief execu
tive Debbie Downs said alcohol consumption remained a New Zealand societal problem, and awareness and education should start from an early age at home, as well as in schools.
‘‘OUSA’s underpinning strategy is one of harm reduction: this includes alcohol,’’ she said.
‘‘As such, OUSA incorporates this strategy into all offerings; among others ‘controlled’ events across the student calendar, owning Starters Bar and being a role player in Good One party register service.’’
OUSA signed the Sophia Charter — named after the late Sophia Crestani — earlier this year.
Signatories have pledged to enhance the safety and wellbeing of the student community in North Dunedin.
Unsurprisingly, the busiest times for alcoholrelated cases were Saturday nights and Sunday mornings.
‘‘Alcohol harm is one of the biggest preventable public health issues facing emergency departments,’’ SDHB medical officer of health Susan Jack said.
‘‘We hope these reports can help to inform alcohol policy, and how and where we can work with our communities to reduce alcohol related harm.’’
Dr Jack said the figures were only a snapshot of alcoholrelated harm in the community, and only reflected those who were brought in for emergency treatment.
The report said alcoholrelated issues were avoidable, and apart from the harm that people caused themselves, they also diverted time and resources from other patients.
‘‘People can be rude, aggressive, or — in the worst circumstances — even violent towards doctors and nurses.
‘‘This behaviour is not always limited to the individual requiring medical care as they may also be accompanied by associates who have also consumed high levels of alcohol.
‘‘On these occasions, hospital security staff maybe required to restrain the patient and/or associate which is once again an avoidable drain on resources.’’