Brief intervention as an advanced practice strategy for seriously injured victims of multiple trauma

Trauma is the leading cause of death during the first 4 decades of life. Approximately 40-50% of seriously injured patients who require hospitalization have an alcohol-related injury. The traumatic injury offers nurses in advanced practice roles a unique opportunity to discuss the relation between the patients' traumatic injuries and their alcohol use. One strategy that has shown promise in recent research is the Brief Intervention, a simple and quick clinical tool used to motivate patients to consider the consequences of their alcohol-related behavior. The Brief Intervention technique uses a screening instrument, the Alcohol Use Disorders Test, to determine whether the patient is a sensible, heavy, or dependent drinker. A counseling session, focusing on reducing alcohol use in the nondependent drinker, follows while the patient is still acutely injured. Through the use of Brief Intervention, the nurse has an opportunity to motivate trauma patients to change their patterns of drinking and limit their risk for repeated injuries. If nurses can prevent future injuries, the potential savings in lives lost and dollars spent are huge.