Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34806251›Full record

ArticleDrug and alcohol review2022

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on alcohol-related emergency department visits in the Netherlands: The ALCOVID study.

Femke M F M Knapen, Susanne J M Laumer, Frits H M Van Osch, Dennis G Barten

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Drug and alcohol review, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Alcohol-Related Emergency Department Visits of Young Adults in a University City in the Netherlands.Journal of the American College of Emergency Physicians open · 2026
    Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Femke M F M KnapenDepartment of Emergency Medicine, VieCuri Medical Centre, Venlo, Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0003-3893-2084
Susanne J M LaumerDepartment of Emergency Medicine, VieCuri Medical Centre, Venlo, Netherlands.
Frits H M Van OschDepartment of Clinical Epidemiology, VieCuri Medical Centre, Venlo, Netherlands.
Dennis G BartenDepartment of Emergency Medicine, VieCuri Medical Centre, Venlo, Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0002-7185-9491

Funding

VieCuri Corona Foundation and Regio Noord-Limburg
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionThe ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has a profound impact on society and healthcare utilisation. Some studies found that alcohol consumption increased. While declines in non-COVID emergency department (ED) visits have been observed worldwide, little is known about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the number of alcohol-related ED visits. We aimed to examine the changes in alcohol-related ED utilisation during the first year of the pandemic in the Netherlands. We assessed whether lockdowns, closure of the catering industry and alcohol bans were associated with changes in ED utilisation for alcohol-related emergencies.

methodsWe performed a retrospective analysis of alcohol-related ED visits in a Dutch trauma level 2 centre, comparing the pandemic year 2020 and using the year 2019 as a reference. Alcohol-related ED visits were categorised as alcohol intoxication, alcohol-related trauma or a combination of both.

resultsThere was an absolute decline of 23.3% in alcohol-related ED visits during 2020 compared to 2019. The decline was most distinct during the second lockdown period (-60%, P ≤ 0.001), which included an alcohol ban. No significant differences were found in the type of alcohol-related ED visits. The proportion of alcohol-related ED visits remained similar (2.2% vs. 2%). DISCUSSION AND

conclusionsDespite reports of higher alcohol consumption, we observed a reduction of alcohol-related ED visits during the COVID-19 pandemic. The decline was most distinct during the second lockdown period, which included an alcohol ban. Further prospective studies are warranted to examine this possible association.

Indexed as

COVID-19PandemicsCommunicable Disease ControlEmergency Service, HospitalHumansNetherlandsRetrospective StudiesSARS-CoV-2alcohol prohibitionCOVID-19emergency service hospitalpandemic

Identifiers

PMID34806251
PMCPMC9011601

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.