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Latest Last-Drinks Media Releases: July 2019
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More than a quarter of family violence incidents involve alcohol, data shows

Alcohol is involved in at least one in four domestic violence incidents that end up at hospital emergency in Warrnambool, but experts say the overall figure could be much higher.

Data collected by emergency staff and Deakin researchers as part of the Last Drinks study highlight the insidious role of alcohol products on family and intimate partner violence.

But Director at Western Region Alcohol and Drug Centre Geoff Soma said the emergency department results could underestimate the true impact, with alcohol consistently implicated in more than 50 per cent of presentations seen at WRAD.

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One in 10 sports club incidents involve booze, Last Drinks data reveals

On-field clashes are not the only sources of sporting injury, with new figures revealing one in 10 sports club incidents that end in an emergency visit involve alcohol products.

Aussie Rules clubs topped the list, comprising 45 per cent of all alcohol-related injuries at a sports club, followed by netball, cricket and lawn bowls, according to Last Drinks data collected at Warrnambool Base Hospital. Researchers also noted incidents stemming from local baseball, soccer and volleyball clubs.

The figures, collected by Deakin University researchers and emergency department staff to shed light on the community harm caused by alcohol products, show 84 per cent of those injured at a sports club while drinking are male with an average age of 36 years.

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"Our aim is to reduce alcohol-related violence and injury attendances at emergency departments."

— PROF. Peter Miller, Chief Investigator

Our Project

The "Last Drinks" project is an implementation trial of an ED-based data collection and response model to reduce alcohol-related harm.

Using an integrated public health approach, we will use systematic data collection in nine partner hospitals to implement evidence-based individual and public health strategies, including anonymised data sharing, to reduce alcohol-related injury in the community.

The overall aims of this project are to reduce alcohol-related harm in communities by using data collected in ED to target the sources of the most alcohol-related harm.

The project is made possible via funding from NHMRC and St Vincent's Hospitals Australia, and significant In-Kind support from our partner investigators. 

“Health services provide information about violence that is not available elswehere.”

— Prof. Jonathan Shepherd, FOUNDing INvestigator of Cardiff Model

The 'Cardiff' Model for Violence Reduction

Alcohol related harm places substantial burden upon hospital emergency departments (EDs), particularly on weekends during times of high alcohol use in Australia. An emerging trend in the UK is the use of ED recorded data ("last-drinks" data) as a tool for tailoring police and other regulatory community level interventions. 

This model of data-sharing (the “Cardiff” model) has been running in the UK in similar forms for almost a decade and is highly cost-beneficial, with societal benefits valued at £82 for each pound invested. It has been successfully piloted by the current investigators in rural Victoria. 

What Will Happen in the ED?

Our data collection model adds four items to existing hospital IT systems for triage/clinician follow-up. 

Check our four infographics for examples that participating hospitals can choose to implement...

Data is used for Public Health Interventions

The public health interventions are based upon evidence of best-practice, and have demonstrated effectiveness in the UK resulting in substantial reductions to violence and injury.

All interventions will be prepared and facilitated by project staff at the Australasian College of Emergency Medicine.