Missoula hospital taking trauma prevention cue from Seattle

By the Associated Press

MISSOULA (AP) — Trauma workers at a Montana hospital may follow the example of counterparts in Seattle and begin briefly counseling patients on alcohol abuse.

‘‘Their data shows that this is, potentially, a teachable moment,'' said John Bleicher, trauma coordinator at Missoula's St. Patrick Hospital.

A study at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle found the reinjury rate of patients recovering from vehicle crashes and other trauma fell by 47 percent if they had received alcohol counseling in the hospital. The study looked at cases between 1994 and 1996.

Psychologist Chris Dunn, who specializes in drug and alcohol interventions at Harborview, spoke Friday with St. Patrick staff members and warned them not to look for fast results. Of the patients in the study, no more than 7 percent sought treatment in the three-year period. Between 10 percent and 13 percent attended Alcoholics Anonymous.

The hospital intervention is only the first step in a long journey, Dunn said.

‘‘They may be sober in 2018 instead of in 2035 just as the result of a single sentence,'' he said.

Each encounter lasts about 15 minutes, Dunn said. It usually begins with a reference to the patient's blood alcohol level at the time of admission to the hospital.

Bleicher said alcohol abuse is Montana's leading cause of trauma. He said unpaid medical bills from trauma cases average out to $1,000 for every state resident.

Bleicher said the Missoula hospital sees 400 trauma admissions annually, with 60 percent involving vehicle crashes. He said alcohol interventions would be appropriate for about half of those patients. Bleicher said he hopes staff members can counsel about 150 patients the first year of the interventions.

The counseling will be part of regular duties and will involve no extra costs.