Emergency Department Visits Involving Underage Alcohol Misuse: 2010 to 2013

Emergency Department Visits Involving Underage Alcohol Misuse: 2010 to 2013

EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT VISITS INVOLVING UNDERAGE ALCOHOL MISUSE: 2010 TO 2013

AUTHORS

Sarah Naeger, Ph.D.

In Brief

• Data from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project Nationwide Emergency Department Sample show that nearly 40 percent of substance-related emergency department (ED) visits made by patients aged 12 to 20 involved alcohol misuse.

     

• ED visits where alcohol was the only substance involved accounted for 78.8 percent of all underage alcohol misuse–related visits, and visits that combined drugs and alcohol accounted for 21.2 percent of underage alcohol misuse–related ED visits.

​       

• There were declines in the rate of alcohol-only visits among patients aged 15 to 17 and aged 12 to 14. Young adults aged 18 to 20, who have the highest rate of any type of alcohol misuse–related ED visits, showed no improvements in the frequency of alcohol-only ED visits or drug and alcohol combination visits.