Monash researcher receives VicHealth Award for alcohol harm in emergency departments research

Associate Professor Diana Egerton-Warburton

Associate Professor Diana Egerton-Warburton was recognised for her significant work in the prevention of alcohol related harm, winning a prestigious VicHealth Award last week.

Associate Professor Egerton-Warburton’s research project, Preventing harm from alcohol, measured the number of emergency department visits caused by alcohol harm.

Emergency departments (EDs) in Australia and New Zealand are at the forefront of dealing with the harmful effects of alcohol consumption. However, ED alcohol-related presentation data is not routinely collected in patient data sets in Australasia.

Associate Professor Egerton-Warburton said the primary objective of the project was to provide an evidence base to advocate for alcohol harm reduction measures in our communities, by quantifying the level of alcohol harm presenting to Australasian emergency departments.

The Hon. Jill Hennessy MP and
Associate Professor Egerton-Warburton

“This survey quantifies that on weekends, one in eight patients in emergency departments in Australia is there because of alcohol,” Associate Professor Egerton-Warburton said.

“This is the third such snapshot survey which has demonstrated the impact of alcohol on ED presentations.”

Australasian College for Emergency Medicine President Dr Simon Judkins said the Award is recognition of the hard work Associate Professor Egerton-Warburton and her team have done with The Alcohol Harm Snapshot Survey, exposing the true extent of alcohol abuse and its effect on our communities and healthworkers – particularly in Australian EDs.

Associate Professor Egerton-Warburton said the award was a credit to the many clinicians who had compiled the data in EDs across the country.

The fourth Alcohol Harm Snapshot Survey in Australian and New Zealand EDs will take place at 2am (local time), on 16 December 2017.

“This goes to all the ED clinicians who completed those 2am surveys and we are looking forward to a record response in this December’s Snapshot Survey,” Associate Professor Egerton-Warburton said.

“I’d like to acknowledge the incredible efforts of the emergency departments over the past four years to do these surveys at a busy time.”

“These surveys do lead directly to advocacy around the issue and an attempt to influence culture, so I think it’s a very powerful thing for emergency clinicians to do.”

The awards were announced last week at VicHealth’s 30^th anniversary event at Melbourne Museum by Health Minister Jill Hennessy, Shadow Health Minister Mary Wooldridge, Leader of the Victorian Greens Samantha Ratnam and VicHealth CEO Jerril Rechter.

Information about the research project is HERE.