The impact of alcohol on the acute hospital service: patient presentation, admission and the perception of alcohol use in such groups.

Patients presenting to an Emergency Department were assessed by a standard questionnaire and clinical examination as to the contribution that alcohol made to their presentation and the perception of their alcohol use. Patients under the influence of alcohol are more than twice as likely not to fill in simple questionnaires and not to perceive their alcohol consumption as different from non-drinking fellows. Emergency Departments are not the optimal site for the education and motivation of drinking patients to alter their future habits.