National Ambulance Surveillance System - Alcohol and Other Drugs

Turning Point provides the Commonwealth Department of Health with comprehensive and timely data on AOD-related harms in the Australian population. Clinical records
from state and territory-based ambulance services are provided to Turning Point in an electronic format. A team of specially trained research assistants scrutinise and code each record, capturing the information in a purpose-built and internationally unique database. The research assistants have on-going coding training, and coding audits are performed routinely to insure inter- and intra-coder reliability. The data capture more than 140 variables including information on patient demographics, scene details (e.g. date of attendance, time of attendance, police co-attendance, GPS coordinates where available, postcode), patient physical condition (vital signs, patient outcome (e.g. transported to hospital), 13 illicit drugs, 82 pharmaceutical medications, other substances (including alcohol or inhalants) and intent. These data form the basis of a novel surveillance system that identifies AOD related harms, and is subsequently used to inform policy and interventions.

This project was funded by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW).

Press

Experts warn of increased alcohol harms over the Easter long weekend

Publications

Ogeil, RP, Scott, D, Faulkner, A, Wilson, J, Beard, N, Smith, K, Manning, V & Lubman, DI. (2021). Changes in alcohol intoxication-related ambulance attendances during COVID-19: How have government announcements and policies affected ambulance call outs?. The Lancet Regional Health - Western Pacific, 14, 100222.

Nielsen, S, Sanfilippo, PG, Scott, D, Lam, T, Smith, K & Lubman, DI. (2021). Characteristics of oxycodone-related ambulance attendances: analysis of temporal trends and the effect of reformulation in Victoria, Australia from 2013 to 2018. Addiction.

Lubman DI, Matthews S, Heilbronn C, Killian JJ, Ogeil RP, Lloyd B, Witt K, Crossin R, Smith K, Bosley E, Carney R, Wilson A, Eastham M Keene T, Shipp C & Scott D. (2020). The National Ambulance Surveillance System: A novel method for monitoring acute alcohol, illicit and pharmaceutical drug related-harms using coded Australian ambulance clinical records. PLoS ONE, 15(1): e0228316.