Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 7, 2026
06:52
Assessment of Dependence in Activities of Daily Living Among Older Patients in an Acute Care Unit
Published on: September 30, 2020
Alcohol abuse in elderly emergency department patients
W L Adams1, K Magruder-Habib, S Trued
1Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee.
Journal of the American Geriatrics Society
|December 1, 1992
Summary
Alcohol abuse is common in elderly emergency department patients, affecting 14% currently. Physicians often miss these cases, highlighting a need for better screening in geriatric emergency care.
Area of Science:
- Geriatric Medicine
- Emergency Medicine
- Addiction Psychiatry
Background:
- Alcohol abuse is a significant health concern in the elderly population.
- Emergency departments (EDs) are critical points for identifying health issues in older adults.
- The prevalence and detection rates of alcohol abuse among elderly ED patients are not well-established.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the prevalence of alcohol abuse in elderly ED patients.
- To examine alcohol abuse prevalence across different illness and injury categories.
- To assess the detection rate of alcohol abuse by ED physicians in this demographic.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional prevalence study was conducted.
- 205 patients aged 65+ presenting to an urban/rural university hospital ED over 8 weeks were interviewed.
- The CAGE questionnaire and self-reported alcohol use were used; medical records were reviewed.
Main Results:
- Lifetime alcohol abuse prevalence was 24%; current alcohol abuse was 14%.
- High prevalence (22%) was observed in patients with gastrointestinal problems, contrasting with lower rates (7%) in trauma patients.
- Physicians detected only 21% of current alcohol abusers.
Conclusions:
- Alcohol abuse is a prevalent issue among elderly patients in the emergency department.
- Current detection rates by physicians are low, indicating a gap in care.
- Alcohol abuse is particularly common in elderly patients with gastrointestinal issues, and less so in trauma cases.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
01:14SBAR II: Application of SBAR
SBAR is an effective communication tool used by healthcare professionals to communicate patient information accurately. SBAR stands for Situation, Background, Assessment, and Recommendation. For a better understanding, an example is given below.
SBAR Report from a Nurse to a Health Care Provider
S: "Hello, Dr. Smith. This is Jane, RN, from the Med Surg unit. I am calling to tell you about Ms. White in Room 210, who is experiencing increased pain and redness at her incision site. Her recent...
SBAR Report from a Nurse to a Health Care Provider
S: "Hello, Dr. Smith. This is Jane, RN, from the Med Surg unit. I am calling to tell you about Ms. White in Room 210, who is experiencing increased pain and redness at her incision site. Her recent...
01:27CNS Depressants: Alcohol and Nicotine
Ethanol, a clear colorless alcohol, has been consumed by humans for millennia, but its effects on the body are far from benign. At lower doses, it induces decreased inhibitions and loquaciousness, leading to its social appeal. However, it can cause severe consequences at higher doses, such as coma and respiratory depression, due to its zero-order elimination kinetics. Chronic ethanol abuse wreaks havoc on multiple organ systems, particularly the CNS and the liver. Abrupt cessation of ethanol...
01:15Drug Dosing: Geriatric Patients
Elderly individuals encompass a diverse population with varying degrees of age-related physiological changes. Defining the elderly presents challenges, as the geriatric population is often arbitrarily categorized as individuals older than 65. However, many individuals in this group lead active and healthy lives, with an increasing number surpassing 85 years and falling into the older elderly category. Physiological changes associated with aging impact performance capacity and homeostatic...
01:18Pharmacokinetics in Geriatric Patients: Effect of Age on Drug Excretion
In geriatric patients, renal physiology undergoes significant changes, including diminished renal blood flow and a lower glomerular filtration rate (GFR), leading to alterations in medication clearance. Drugs such as aminoglycoside antibiotics, lithium, and digoxin, which rely on glomerular filtration for removal from the body, particularly impact pharmacokinetics. These drugs tend to have slower clearance rates in older adults, necessitating careful dosage considerations.Evaluation of renal...
01:27Pharmacodynamics in Geriatric Patients: Effects of Age
Age-related pharmacokinetic changes are extensively documented, but understanding age-related pharmacodynamic alterations is relatively limited. This knowledge gap can be partly attributed to the complexity of developing appropriate measures of drug responses compared to bioanalytical methods for determining drug concentrations.Most information regarding age-related differences in human pharmacodynamics originates from cross-sectional studies. However, these studies assume that observed mean...
01:28Depressants
Depressant drugs, including alcohol and sedative-hypnotics, diminish central nervous system activity by enhancing the action of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), a neurotransmitter that reduces brain activity and promotes relaxation. These substances can have various therapeutic uses but also pose significant risks, especially when misused or combined.
Alcohol is a common depressant that can induce a sense of relaxation and reduced inhibition at low doses. Contrary to its occasional...
Alcohol is a common depressant that can induce a sense of relaxation and reduced inhibition at low doses. Contrary to its occasional...