PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - J Vardy AU - C Mansbridge AU - A Ireland TI - Are emergency department staffs’ perceptions about the inappropriate use of ambulances, alcohol intoxication, verbal abuse and violence accurate? AID - 10.1136/emj.2007.056259 DP - 2009 Mar 01 TA - Emergency Medicine Journal PG - 164--168 VI - 26 IP - 3 4099 - http://emj.bmj.com/content/26/3/164.short 4100 - http://emj.bmj.com/content/26/3/164.full SO - Emerg Med J2009 Mar 01; 26 AB - Objectives: To examine three opinions voiced by nightshift emergency department (ED) staff. First, that a significant proportion of adult patients arriving by emergency ambulance lack a clear indication for emergency transport. Second, that at night a high proportion of ambulance arrivals are drunk, abusive or leave without treatment. Third, that at night a high proportion of ambulance arrivals have been assaulted or have deliberately harmed themselves.Methods: A retrospective audit of all 5421 new patient attendances to Glasgow Royal Infirmary ED in February 2007, including 1743 arriving by ambulance.Results: 19.5% of ambulance arrivals lacked a clear indication for emergency transport. Between midnight and 05:00 hours: 52.5% of ambulance arrivals were intoxicated; 6.2% were abusive to staff; 14.0% left before treatment was completed; 21.4% had been assaulted and 7.4% had deliberately harmed themselves.Conclusion: The majority of ambulances were called appropriately; however, there remains a significant proportion who could travel by other means. A high proportion of ambulance arrivals between midnight and 05:00 hours were intoxicated, abusive or victims of assault. This supported staff’s perception that such patients form a substantial proportion of departmental workload at night.