UC Irvine researchers present latest findings at emergency medi...(d alcohol-use intervention pays dividend...),Health

DR. FEDERICO VACA, executive director of the Center for Trauma and Injury Prevention Research, and colleagues report that emergency department patients who participate in computerized alcohol-use screening reported significantly lower alcohol consumption when contacted six months later. Vaca oversees a program at the UC Irvine Medical Center emergency department in which non-intoxicated patients interact with a roll-to-the-bedside interactive computerized kiosk that inquires about personal alcohol use and provides a personalized printout offering alcohol prevention and treatment strategies. This kiosk, known as CASI, incorporates introspective questioning and motivational interviewing techniques to get patients to reflect upon their alcohol-drinking patterns, their health and the reasons for their emergency department visit. Using CASI in this busy emergency department setting has been found both efficient and effective.

Safety legislation helping reduce childhood non-fatal drowning accidents

DR. CHRISTOPHER WALL and his colleagues tracked child-related submersions (non-fatal drowning accidents) and fatal drownings in Orange County, Calif., after the 1994 enactment of federal SafeKids legislation and a 1999 county ordinance requiring greater pool management and drowning-prevention education for adults who have or supervise children. Wall found a significant decrease in the instances of submersions and only a slight drop in the number of drowning deaths. The data show, he said, that legislation and education are effective, but that drowning deaths involve more complex factors that require further study.

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