Implementation of an Alcohol Medical Amnesty Policy at an Urban University With a Collegiate-Based Emergency Medical Services Agency.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: Medical amnesty policies (MAPs) at universities attempt to encourage students to seek emergency medical care by reducing disciplinary sanctions. This study analyzed how a MAP affected requests for emergency medical help to a collegiate-based emergency medical services (CBEMS) agency for alcohol-related issues. METHODS: This before-and-after study analyzed CBEMS call data for the 6 semesters prior to and after MAP implementation. Extracted data included patient demographics, dispatch time, and requests for advanced life support (ALS) resources. RESULTS: Following MAP introduction, increases were observed in alcohol-related calls/day in the fall semesters (0.84 vs. 0.93; p < 0.01). The median time of calls decreased; 120 a.m. versus 1259 a.m. (median difference 21 minutes, p < 0.001). Finally, ALS was requested less often (9.0% vs. 3.7%; odds ratio 0.39; p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: MAP implementation at a university with a CBEMS is associated with a higher call volume, requests for service that occur earlier in the evening, and reduction in ALS requests for alcohol-related emergencies.