Drinking on campus. Undergraduate intoxication requiring emergency care

Area of Science:

• Emergency Medicine
• Public Health
• Higher Education

Background:

• Alcohol intoxication is a prevalent issue among undergraduate students.
• Emergency departments (EDs) frequently encounter college students with alcohol-related emergencies.
• Understanding the scope and characteristics of these cases is crucial for targeted interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the incidence of alcohol intoxication among undergraduate students presenting to an ED.
• To examine demographic factors associated with student alcohol intoxication.
• To identify injuries sustained by intoxicated students requiring emergency care.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective case series analysis.
• Data collected from a tertiary care medical center on a university campus.
• Involved undergraduate students presenting to the ED with alcohol intoxication over two academic years.

Main Results:

• An incidence of 3.9 emergency department visits per 1000 students for alcohol intoxication was observed annually.
• Freshmen exhibited a significantly higher incidence (9.3 per 1000) compared to other academic classes.
• Twenty percent of intoxicated students sustained injuries, primarily from falls, with one case requiring mechanical ventilation for apnea.

Conclusions:

• Alcohol intoxication requiring emergency medical attention is a notable issue for college students.
• Falls are a common injury associated with alcohol intoxication in this demographic.
• First-year students represent a particularly vulnerable group requiring focused prevention and intervention strategies.