Abstract
Objectives: To assess emergency physician reporting patterns in Oregon before and after the passage of a mandatory intoxicated driving reporting law. Methods: A one-page survey was mailed to 504 emergency physicians in Oregon in April 2004. Data on reporting frequency were collected using a four-point ordinal scale regarding motor vehicle crash-involved drivers (MIDs) and intoxicated persons attempting to drive away from the emergency department (DAEDs). Paired observations were assessed for a stated increase in reporting activity following passage of the law using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Associations of postlaw reporting and demographic and knowledge factors were sought using Spearman rank correlation analysis. Results: Of the 504 surveys mailed, 298 (59%) were adequate for analysis. Many respondents (57%) were already aware of the law. Most (92%) agreed that physicians should be mandated to report some crimes. MIDs were always reported by 18% of physicians before the law and by 47% afterward, whereas DAEDs were always reported by 56% of physicians before the law and by 69% afterward. Emergency medicine-trained physicians, higher emergency department census, and increased years of experience were associated with a significantly higher increase in reporting pattern after passage of the law for both MIDs and DAEDs. Conclusions: Although 44% of responding emergency physicians in Oregon were unaware of a mandated reporting law for intoxicated drivers presenting to the ED, most physicians stated an increase in their reporting practice.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 896-899 |
Number of pages | 4 |
Journal | Academic Emergency Medicine |
Volume | 12 |
Issue number | 9 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Sep 2005 |
Keywords
- Alcohol
- DUI
- Driving
- Intoxication
- Mandatory reporting
- Survey
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Emergency Medicine