CREM Director wins 2016 Regional Achiever Award

South West Regional Achiever - Tim BakerCREM is delighted to announce that our director, Dr Timothy Baker, has been awarded the  South West Regional Achiever Award, 2016.  This award is a great honour and reflects the contribution, not only of Dr Baker personally but of many other people and organisations who contribute to rural emergency medicine in our region.  The staff of CREM research issues of importance and help spread new ideas to clinicians in small towns. Warrnambool and Portland emergency departments, and the surrounding Urgent Care Centres continue to incorporate new models of care to provide the best outcomes for their patients.

CREM appreciates the ongoing funding and commitment of Alcoa Australia, the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services, and Deakin University to the South West Region.  CREM would like to thank the sponsors of this award, South West TAFE and Deakin University, for recognising and honouring those who work for their communities in the South West Region of Victoria.  Dr Baker would like to congratulate the other finalists and nominees in this category, who have all contributed greatly to the local communities, making our region such a wonderful place to live.  Thanks to Prime 7, The Weekly Times and the Bank Of Melbourne, the major sponsors of these awards.

Last drinks: A study of rural emergency department data collection to identify and target community alcohol-related violence

Alcohol-related violence and injury is a significant public health problem and a substantial burden on hospital EDs, especially on weekends during ‘high-alcohol hours’.

In this study by Peter Miller and Nic Droste, from Deakin School of Psychology, and Tim Baker from CREM, all patients aged 15 years or older presenting to a regional emergency department  were asked whether alcohol was consumed in the 12 hours prior to injury, how many standard drinks were consumed, where they purchased most of the alcohol and where they consumed the last alcoholic drink.

The study found that this ED data collection was feasible, alcohol injuries were linked to identifiable venues and public areas, and packaged liquor sales substantially contribute to emergency department attendances.

Access article on publisher’s site

Miller P, Droste N, Baker T, Gervis C. Last drinks: A study of rural emergency department data collection to identify and target community alcohol-related violence. Emergency Medicine Australasia 2015, Jun;27(3):225-31.

Emergency department data sharing to reduce alcohol-related violence

This paper reviews the current evidence for reducing alcohol related injuries by sharing data collected by emergency departments, with agencies such as police, local council, liquor licensing regulators and venue management.

Nicolas Droste and Peter Miller from the School of Psychology at Deakin University, along with Tim Baker from CREM, performed a quantitative and narrative synthesis on 8 articles selected from an original search of 19,506 articles.

All studies found that data collection could be cheaply and easily implemented into modern ED triage systems. All but on study study reported substantial reductions to assault or injury. One reported no change.

Access article on publisher’s site

Droste, N., Miller, P., & Baker, T. (2014). Review article: Emergency department data sharing to reduce alcohol-related violence: A systematic review of the feasibility and effectiveness of community-level interventions. Emergency Medicine Australasia, 26(4), 326-35. doi:10.1111/1742-6723.1224