Presentation to emergency departments with intoxication as an indicator of alcohol use disorder

In this retrospective study of 251 300 patient encounters at Veterans Administration Emergency Departments associated with alcohol intoxication per blood testing or ICD 9/10 coding, we found that 79% of these patients had positive Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test-Consumption screens within 6 months of their visit. Therefore, we propose that presentation to an emergency department with any detectable ethanol concentration should prompt intervention accordingly.