Developing an effective model of alcohol-related harms
Turning Point recently held a co-design workshop to identify how ambulance attendance data can best support local governments and organisations seeking to minimise alcohol harms.
Thank you to the insightful attendees who attended our recent co-design workshop!
Run by Turning Point’s NAMHSU team led by Strategic Lead Dr Rowan Ogeil, Research Assistant Sarah Chislett and Senior Data Analyst Kinjal Majumdar, the workshop investigated ways that local-level ambulance data could support work being done by organisations seeking to minimise harms from alcohol among their local populations.
“We are grateful to everyone who contributed,” says Dr Ogeil. “Each attendee brought a wealth of unique experiences from diverse backgrounds to the event.”
Workshop attendees included representatives from metro and regional local councils, Monash Addiction Research Centre, Eastern Health, and Ambulance Victoria, as well as a participant who has experienced harms from alcohol.
Through the co-design process, the research team gained in-depth knowledge of local challenges and needs in the alcohol space.
Examples of the themes discussed included the identification of the most relevant target populations and focus days for future investigations, as well as possible approaches to designing a “future alcohol-harm indicator” for each area.
According to Dr Ogeil, workshop attendees stressed the need for localised data to inform their practice and policies, and to tackle issues associated with domestic violence, particularly stemming from drinking in the home.
“This valuable information will guide the focus and next steps in both current and future projects – including a current PhD opportunity – investigating opportunities to use ambulance data to create a contemporary model of alcohol-related harms for policymakers,” Dr Ogeil explains.
“The responses we received demonstrated the clear community need and want for this type of work, and the need for local government decision-makers to have access to local-level data on alcohol harms.”
“We look forward to working with VicHealth throughout 2025 to share the stories and findings from the workshop with the wider community,” he says.
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