An author’s error occurred in the paper titled Hazardous drinkers in the accident and emergency department—Who accepts advice? (Emerg Med J 2004;21:491–2). Incorrect proportions for ‘Believed initial AED attendance related to drinking’ appear in table 1 (A). The figures were calculated using a denominator based on the number of responses to that item, rather than the number of patients who were offered advice. The correct proportions are 49.9 for ‘Accepted advice’ and 45.9 for ‘Did not accept advice’ (not 70.1 and 69.8 as stated in the text). The difference in proportion (95% CI) should read 4.0 (-2.1 to 10.1).