The number of patients admitted to Central Australian intensive care units due to alcohol abuse has dropped by more than a third following Northern Territory law reform, a study has found.
The NT government introduced its harm minimisation legislation in 2018 to help reduce alcohol misuse, which is a disproportionately large contributor to death and disease in the Top End.
It included a minimum price for alcohol per unit, a banned drinkers register and the introduction of Police Auxiliary Liquor Inspection Officers.
A recent Flinders University study of 1323 patients at Alice Springs Hospital found alcohol-related intensive care unit admissions had since fallen by 38 per cent.
"The drop in ICU admissions suggests the Northern Territory's integrated alcohol harm reduction framework has been effective," intensive care specialist Paul Secombe told AAP.
The study was undertaken at Alice Springs Hospital's 10-bed ICU unit which has approximately 600 admissions a year.
It's the only critical care facility for 1500km in any direction, serving about 50,000 people dispersed over one million square kilometres. Approximately two-thirds of the patients identify as Indigenous.
Researchers found admissions associated with alcohol misuse dropped from 18.8 per cent to 11.7 per cent after the laws were implemented.
Admissions related to short-term misuse and chronic misuse, such liver cirrhosis, also fell - 10.6 per cent to 3.6 per cent and 13.3 per cent to 9.6 per cent respectively.
There was also a marked reduction in admissions due to physical injury, which was disproportionately high among those misusing alcohol, Dr Secombe said.
The NT government legislation reforms were based on recommendations from the Riley Review for an integrated alcohol harm reduction framework.
But Dr Secombe says ICU outcomes are only one measure of alcohol-related harm.
"We should also be compiling police figures around domestic violence and assaults, data on road accidents and the impact on ambulance services and homelessness," he said.
"All things need to be brought together to tell the full story.
"What we've contributed is just one small chapter on the effect of alcohol on people's lives."
The study was published in the journal Anaestesia and Intensive Care on Wednesday.
Australian Associated Press
