Participants and eligibility criteria
AUD, ill
DISORDER, DISORDERS, RECRUITMENT
Our pre-screening process identified adult patients (≥18 years of age) who were seeking initial care at the KCMC ED for an acute (<24 hours) injury regardless of gender. Of these patients, those who were not clinically intoxicated and who were capable of providing consent were offered informed consent. Patients who were intoxicated or too ill to provide consent were reassessed after 24 hours to determine capacity. Intoxication was determined clinically by the treating physician. During informed consent, three research nurses fully explained each study arm and the SMS text procedures to ensure that participants understood and were able to address any issues prior to providing consent. Written informed consent was obtained to test for alcohol consumption and for study participation. Patients were included in the study if they 1) disclosed alcohol use prior to injury, 2) scored ≥8 on the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), or 3) tested positive (>0.00 g/dL) by breathalyzer. Participants remained eligible for recruitment even if they were found to have an AUDIT score >20, suggesting a severe alcohol use disorder (AUD). As there were no other treatment options, denying study participation to those with severe AUD was considered unethical. Participants were excluded if they did not speak Swahili, were too ill or otherwise unable to communicate, did not have an SMS-capable phone, or if they declined informed consent.