Alcohol-Related Presentations to Emergency Departments on Days with Holidays, Social, and Sporting Events: An Integrative Literature Review.

Abstract

Introduction: Events, specifically those where excessive alcohol consumption is common, pose a risk to increase alcohol-related presentations to emergency departments (EDs). Limited evidence exists that synthesizes the impact from events on alcohol-related presentations to EDs.

Study objective: This integrative review aimed to synthesize the literature regarding the impact events have on alcohol-related presentations to EDs.

Methods: An integrative literature review methodology was guided by the Preferred Reporting Items of Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) Guidelines for data collection, and Whittemore and Knafl's framework for data analysis. Information sources used to identify studies were MEDLINE, CINAHL, and EMBASE, last searched May 26, 2021.

Results: In total, 23 articles describing 46 events met criteria for inclusion. There was a noted increase in alcohol-related presentations to EDs from 27 events, decrease from eight events, and no change from 25 events. Public holidays, music festivals, and sporting events resulted in the majority of increased alcohol-related presentations to EDs. Few articles focused on ED length-of-stay (LOS), treatment, and disposition.

Conclusion: An increase in the consumption of alcohol from holiday, social, and sporting events pose the risk for an influx of presentations to EDs and as a result may negatively impact departmental flow. Further research examining health service outcomes is required that considers the impact of events from a local, national, and global perspective.