Effectiveness of brief interventions after alcohol-related vehicular injury: A randomized controlled trial. Brief intervention for medical inpatients with unhealthy alcohol use: a randomized, controlled trial. Implementing an effective intervention for problem drinkers on medical wards. Intervention of heavy drinking--a prospective and controlled study of 438 consecutive injured male patients. A study of minimal interventions for problem drinkers in acute care settings. Randomized controlled trial of a brief intervention for unhealthy alcohol use in hospitalized Taiwanese men. Counselling problem drinkers in medical wards: a controlled study. Effects of brief counselling among male heavy drinkers identified on general hospital wards. Brief alcohol intervention for general hospital inpatients: a randomized controlled trial. Alcohol interventions in a trauma center as a means of reducing the risk of injury recurrence. The effect of brief interventions on alcohol consumption among heavy drinkers in a general hospital setting. Trauma center brief interventions for alcohol disorders decrease subsequent driving under the influence arrests.
Because 40% of motor vehicle fatalities in the United States are alcohol-related, interventions delivered by trauma clinicians targeted to reduce drinking are of particular importance to public health. The objective of this study was to test the effectiveness of hospital-based brief intervention strategies to reduce alcohol consumption and other health-related outcomes in the year after an alcohol-related vehicular injury. Brief interventions are clinically based strategies including assessment and direct feedback about drinking alcohol, goal setting, behavioral modification techniques, and the use of a self-help manual.
                The study was a randomized controlled trial of two types of brief intervention with a 12-month follow-up. Participants with alcohol-related vehicular injury who were admitted to Level I trauma centers were eligible for enrollment. Enrolled participants were randomized to a control, simple advice, or brief counseling condition. Primary outcome variables were alcohol consumption (standard drinks/month, binges/month), adverse driving events (driving citations, traffic crashes), and changes in health status (hospital and emergency department admissions).
                The study enrolled 187 participants at baseline and retained 100 across 12 months. Participants had a significant decrease in alcohol consumption and traffic citations at 12 months as compared with baseline. Mean standard drinks/month declined from 56.80 (SD 63.89) at baseline to 32.10 (SD 53.20) at 12 months. Mean binges/month declined from 5.79 (SD 6.98) at baseline to 3.21 (SD 6.17) at 12 months. There were no differences in alcohol consumption, adverse driving events, or health status by condition.
                Whether the reductions in alcohol consumption and traffic citations were a result of the crash, hospitalization for injury, screening for alcohol use, or combination of these factors is difficult to determine. Further work is needed to understand the mechanisms involved in reductions of health-related outcomes and the role of brief intervention in this population. The efficacy of brief intervention in reducing alcohol consumption is well established for selected outpatients but not for medical inpatients.
                To determine whether brief intervention improves alcohol outcomes in medical inpatients who were identified by screening as having unhealthy alcohol use.
                Randomized, controlled trial.
                Medical service of an urban hospital.
                341 medical inpatients who were drinking risky amounts of alcohol (defined for eligibility as >14 drinks/wk or > or =5 drinks/occasion for men and >11 drinks/wk or > or =4 drinks/occasion for women and persons > or =66 y); 77% had alcohol dependence as determined by the Composite International Diagnostic Interview Alcohol Module.
                A 30-minute session of motivational counseling given by trained counselors during a patient's hospitalization (n = 172) versus usual care (n = 169).
                Self-reported primary outcomes were receipt of alcohol assistance (for example, alcohol disorders specialty treatment) by 3 months in dependent drinkers and change in the mean number of drinks per day from enrollment to 12 months in all patients.
                The intervention was not significantly associated with receipt of alcohol assistance by 3 months among alcohol-dependent patients (adjusted proportions receiving assistance, 49% for the intervention group and 44% for the control group; intervention-control difference, 5% [95% CI, -8% to 19%]) or with drinks per day at 12 months among all patients (adjusted mean decreases, 1.5 for patients who received the intervention and 3.1 for patients who received usual care; adjusted mean group difference, -1.5 [CI, -3.7 to 0.6]). There was no significant interaction between the intervention and alcohol dependence in statistical models predicting drinks per day (P = 0.24).
                Baseline imbalances existed between randomized groups. Patients who received usual care were assessed and advised that they could discuss their drinking with their physicians.
                Brief intervention is insufficient for linking medical inpatients with treatment for alcohol dependence and for changing alcohol consumption. Medical inpatients with unhealthy alcohol use require more extensive, tailored alcohol interventions. Many medical inpatients have alcohol related problems but evidence of the feasibility of instituting a brief intervention is incomplete. An alcohol counsellor trained nurses on five general medical wards to screen patients routinely for alcohol problems. She counselled appropriate patients using one or two counselling sessions. Efficacy of the counselling was assessed at interview six months following the admission. We found that 19.6% of male and 4.8% of female medical patients were drinking more than 50 units (U) or 33 drinks per week (male) or 35 U or 23 drinks per week (female). Counselling, with one or two sessions led to a reduction from a median of 74 U (49 drinks) per week at admission to 26 U (17 drinks) per week at six months follow-up. A second counselling session after discharge showed no advantage over a single one administered while the patient was in the ward. The barriers to developing a successful alcohol screening and counselling service in medical wards can be overcome provided there is also adequate support and training of the ward nursing staff. We studied 120 injured male patients of working age who were heavy drinkers or alcoholics, obtaining seven points or more in the Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test (MAST). They were randomly allocated either to an intervention group (IG) or to a control group (CG). In addition to the MAST interview, the consumption of alcohol during the previous week prior to hospital admission was calculated and laboratory measures (serum GGT, ASAT and ALAT) were obtained. Counselling of the patients in the IG was carried out by a trained assistant nurse and a physician. Forty-nine patients in IG and 40 patients in CG were re-examined after 6 months. In the IG 45% and in the CG 20% of the patients were improved (Chi square test, P less than 0.05). Improvement criteria were a decrease in alcohol consumption by at least one-third and decrease of S-GGT by at least 20% during the follow-up period. In respect to the laboratory measures the groups were identical at the beginning of the study and after 6 months' follow-up. Our results are encouraging and suggest that the assessment of heavy drinking should be a routine in the treatment of alcohol-related injuries and that education and counselling must be intensive to be effective. This article reports an investigation of three minimal interventions for potential problem drinkers in general hospital wards. The interventions were: (a) brief advice; (b) the provision of health education literature; (c) a combination of both the advice and literature. One year after recruitment the mean levels of alcohol consumption and the number of alcohol-related problems reported by the cohort was significantly reduced. These reductions were supported by reductions in the mean levels of GGT and AST, but not in mean MCV. No statistically significant treatment effects were found. The results are presented and implications for nursing are discussed. To evaluate the effectiveness of a brief intervention in hospitalized Taiwanese men to reduce unhealthy alcohol consumption.
                Randomized controlled trial.
                Medical/surgical wards of a medical centre in Taipei, Taiwan.
                Of 3669 consecutive adult male in-patients, 616 were identified as unhealthy alcohol users (>14 drinks/week) and assigned randomly to either usual care (n = 308) or a brief intervention (n = 308).
                Primary outcomes were changes in alcohol consumption at 4, 9 and 12 months, including self-reported weekly alcohol consumption, drinking days and heavy drinking episodes assessed by 7-day time-line follow-back. Secondary outcomes were (i) self-reported alcohol problems, (ii) health-care utilization (hospital days and emergency department visits), (iii) self-reported seeking of speciality treatment for alcohol problems and (iv) 3-month Quick Drinking Screen.
                Based on intention-to-treat analyses, the intervention group consumed significantly less alcohol than the control group among both unhealthy drinkers and the subgroup of alcohol-dependent participants over 12 months, on both 7-day and 3-month assessments. Adjunctive analyses of only those who completed all assessments found that total drinks consumed did not remain significant. Significantly more participants with alcohol use disorders in the intervention than in the control group (8.3%, 19 of 230 versus 2.1%, four of 189) consulted specialists by 12 months (P = 0.01). However, alcohol-related problems and health-care utilization did not differ significantly in the two groups during follow-up.
                Data from Taiwan confirm that brief in-hospital intervention can result in a reduction in alcohol intake by men who drink heavily or are diagnosed with an alcohol use disorder.
                © 2011 The Authors, Addiction © 2011 Society for the Study of Addiction. Seven hundred and thirty one men admitted to medical wards were interviewed to identify problem drinkers who had not received previous treatment for alcoholism and who had some social support. One hundred and sixty one met the diagnostic criteria; 156 agreed to a follow up interview and were allocated to one of two groups. One group received a session of counselling about their drinking habits from a nurse while the other received only routine medical care. Both groups reported a reduction in alcohol consumption when interviewed 12 months later, but the counselled group had a significantly better outcome than the control group. It is concluded that systematic screening for alcohol consumption and related problems should become a routine part of medical assessment and that advice on drinking habits is effective if given before irreversible physical or psychosocial problems have developed. Although the prevalence of heavy alcohol consumption among patients of general hospitals is well documented, no study has yet reported an effect of counselling on the ward in reducing the level of consumption among such patients after discharge. This study was designed to evaluate brief counselling to reduce alcohol consumption among male heavy drinkers identified on general hospital wards. Male patients were screened on wards of four teaching hospitals in Sydney, Australia. Identified heavy drinkers (n = 174) showing predominantly low levels of alcohol dependence were allocated to one of two forms of brief counselling (skills-based counselling or brief motivational interviewing) or to a non-intervention control group. Blind follow-up for 123 patients (71%) was carried out approximately 6 months after discharge from hospital and self-reports of alcohol consumption were compared with collateral sources of information. Patients who received counselling showed a significantly greater mean reduction in a quantity-frequency measure of weekly alcohol consumption than controls but there were no significant differences in reduced consumption between the two intervention groups. However, patients who were deemed "not ready to change" showed greater reductions if they had received brief motivational interviewing than if they had received skills-based counselling. The implications of these findings for counselling male in-patients to reduce alcohol consumption are discussed. To test the effectiveness of a brief alcohol intervention among non-dependent general hospital inpatients with alcohol problems, delivered by either a specialized liaison service or hospital physicians.
                All inpatients of 29 wards from four general hospitals of one region in Germany were screened for alcohol problems (n=14,332). Of those screening positive, 595 patients were included in a randomized controlled group design using a time-frame. Patients with alcohol dependence were not considered in this study. Patients received Motivational Interviewing based counselling either by a specialized liaison service, by hospital physicians trained under routine conditions or received hospital treatment as usual without additional counselling. One year later, alcohol consumption, motivation and well-being were assessed. Sample survey analyses and generalized estimating equations were conducted.
                At baseline, the three groups differed regarding motivation, with higher motivation among the controls. At follow-up, the groups did not differ regarding alcohol consumption, alcohol-related problems and well-being. All groups decreased their alcohol consumption significantly. Regarding motivation, longitudinal analyses revealed significant interaction effects of time and intervention (p<0.05), indicating a stronger increase of readiness to change drinking and a less profound drop of readiness to seek help among those who received intervention compared to the controls.
                The intervention was not effective in reducing alcohol consumption or in increasing well-being 12 months after hospitalization. It had a positive effect on readiness to change drinking and on readiness to seek formal help for alcohol problems. The intervention groups compensated their lag of motivation. Alcoholism is the leading risk factor for injury. The authors hypothesized that providing brief alcohol interventions as a routine component of trauma care would significantly reduce alcohol consumption and would decrease the rate of trauma recidivism.
                This study was a randomized, prospective controlled trial in a level 1 trauma center. Patients were screened using a blood alcohol concentration, gamma glutamyl transpeptidase level, and short Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test (SMAST). Those with positive results were randomized to a brief intervention or control group. Reinjury was detected by a computerized search of emergency department and statewide hospital discharge records, and 6- and 12-month interviews were conducted to assess alcohol use.
                A total of 2524 patients were screened; 1153 screened positive (46%). Three hundred sixty-six were randomized to the intervention group, and 396 to controls. At 12 months, the intervention group decreased alcohol consumption by 21.8+/-3.7 drinks per week; in the control group, the decrease was 6.7+/-5.8 (p = 0.03). The reduction was most apparent in patients with mild to moderate alcohol problems (SMAST score 3 to 8); they had 21.6+/-4.2 fewer drinks per week, compared to an increase of 2.3+/-8.3 drinks per week in controls (p < 0.01). There was a 47% reduction in injuries requiring either emergency department or trauma center admission (hazard ratio 0.53, 95% confidence interval 0.26 to 1.07, p = 0.07) and a 48% reduction in injuries requiring hospital admission (3 years follow-up).
                Alcohol interventions are associated with a reduction in alcohol intake and a reduced risk of trauma recidivism. Given the prevalence of alcohol problems in trauma centers, screening, intervention, and counseling for alcohol problems should be routine. (i) To evaluate the effect of receiving one of two brief interventions in reducing alcohol consumption among general hospital patients compared with usual care. (ii) To assess whether a brief intervention of self-efficacy enhancement was superior to a self-help booklet in reducing alcohol consumption.
                A three-arm cluster randomized controlled trial.
                Seven general medical, six general surgical, one dermatology and two otolaryngology wards of a large teaching hospital covering a large urban and rural area.
                A total of 215 of 789 in-patients aged 18-75 years, who screened positive for alcohol consumption in excess of national recommended limits according to a 7-day retrospective drinking diary.
                Participants were allocated to receive one of three interventions: (i) face-to-face self-efficacy enhancement; (ii) a self-help booklet; or (iii) usual care.
                The primary outcome measure was change in reported alcohol consumption at 6-month follow-up as measured by a 7-day retrospective drinking diary. Secondary outcomes were change in: number of alcohol drinking days in last week; the maximum units of alcohol consumed on any one day in last week; and Drinking Refusal Self-efficacy Expectancy Questionnaire score.
                Compared to the usual care group the self-efficacy enhancement group (-10.1 units 95% CI -16.1 to -4.1) and the self-help booklet group (-10.0 units 95% CI -16.0 to -3.9) had greater reductions in self-reported weekly alcohol consumption. There was no evidence that self-efficacy enhancement was superior to the self-help booklet (P = 0.96).
                Brief interventions delivered in hospital offer simple means of helping heavy drinkers to reduce their alcohol consumption. A substantial number of trauma center admissions are related to driving under the influence (DUI); however, there has been no prior report of brief intervention (BI) after injury reducing subsequent DUI arrests. The hypothesis of this study was that injured patients receiving BI would have a lower risk of DUI arrest within 3 years of discharge than those receiving standard care (SC).
                This prospective, randomized clinical trial randomly allocated patients involved in motor vehicle collisions to receive SC or a BI regarding alcohol use. The primary outcome measure was DUI arrest within 3 years of hospital discharge. DUI arrests were documented by matching demographic information to state traffic safety data.
                After randomization (N = 126), BI and SC groups were similar in age, prior DUI arrests, and alcohol screening score. BI sessions lasted an average of 30 minutes and were performed by either a social worker or a trauma surgeon. Approximately one in six participants (n = 21, 16.7%) had a DUI arrest within 3 years of hospital discharge. Within 3 years of hospital discharge, 14 of 64 patients (21.9%) in the SC group had an arrest for DUI compared with only 7 of 62 patients (11.3%) who received the BI. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that BI was the strongest protective factor against DUI arrest (odds ratio [OR], 0.32; 95% confidence interval < or =CI], 0.11-0.96). Prior number of DUIs (OR, 1.43; 95% CI, 1.03-2.01) and age (OR, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.88-0.99) were also associated with DUI arrest post-hospitalization, but alcohol screening score (OR, 1.06; 95% CI, 0.99-1.13) was not. The absolute risk reduction implies that only nine patients would need to receive a BI to prevent one DUI arrest.
                Patients who receive BI during a trauma center admission are less likely to be arrested for DUI within 3 years of discharge. BI represents a viable intervention to reduce DUI after trauma center admission.
The main results of this review indicate that there are benefits to delivering brief interventions to heavy alcohol users admitted to general hospital wards in terms of reduction in alcohol consumption and death rates. However, these findings are based on studies involving mainly male participants. Further research is required determine the optimal content and treatment exposure of brief interventions within general hospital settings and whether they are likely to be more successful in patients with certain characteristics.