Alcohol and Alcoholism Advance Access originally published online on March 27, 2009
Alcohol and Alcoholism 2009 44(3):284-286; doi:10.1093/alcalc/agp016
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PAT (2009)—Revisions to the Paddington Alcohol Test for Early Identification of Alcohol Misuse and Brief Advice to Reduce Emergency Department Re-attendance
1 Accident & Emergency Department, Imperial College Healthcare Trust, St Mary's Hospital Campus, Praed Street, Paddington, London W2 1NY, UK
2 Central and North West London Foundation Trust, London, UK
* Corresponding author: Accident & Emergency Department, Imperial College Healthcare Trust, St Mary's Hospital Campus, Praed Street, Paddington, London W2 1NY, UK. Fax: +207-886-6366; E-mail: robin.touquet{at}imperial.nhs.uk
Received 11 February 2009; ; accepted 3 March 2009; advance access publication 27 March 2009
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The Paddington Alcohol Test (PAT) has evolved over 15 years as a clinical tool to facilitate emergency physicians and nurses giving brief advice and the offer of an appointment for brief intervention by an alcohol nurse specialist. Previous work has shown that unscheduled emergency department re-attendance is reduced by making the connection between alcohol misuse and resultant problems necessitating emergency care. The revised PAT (2009) now includes education on clinical signs of alcohol misuse and advice on when to request a blood alcohol concentration.