The mixed evidence for brief intervention in emergency departments, trauma care centers, and inpatient hospital settings: what should we do?

Feasibility of a computer-assisted alcohol SBIRT program in an urban emergency department: patient and research staff perspectives

Objectives

The study objective was to assess the feasibility of a computerized alcohol-screening interview (CASI) program to identify at-risk alcohol users among adult emergency department (ED) patients. The study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of implementing a computerized screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment (SBIRT) program within a busy urban ED setting, to report on accurate deployment of alcohol screening results, and to assess comprehension and satisfaction with CASI from both patient and research staff perspectives.

Methods

Research assistants (RAs) screened a convenience sample of medically stable ED patients. The RAs brought CASI to patients’ bedsides, and patients entered their own alcohol consumption data. The CASI intervention consisted of an alcohol use screening identification test, a personalized normative feedback profile, NIAAA low-risk drinking educational materials, and treatment referrals (when indicated).

Results

Five hundred seventeen patients were enrolled. The median age of participants was 37 years (range, 21-85 years); 37% were men, 62% were Hispanic, 7% were Caucasian, 30% were African American, and 2% were multiracial. Eighty percent reported regular use of computers at home. Eighty percent of patients approached consented to participate, and 99% of those who started CASI were able to complete it. Two percent of interviews were interrupted for medical tests and procedures, however, no patients required breaks from using CASI for not feeling well. The CASI program accurately provided alcohol risk education to patients 100% of the time. Thirty-two percent of patients in the sample screened positive for at-risk drinking. Sixty percent of patients reported that CASI increased their knowledge of safe drinking limits, 39% reported some likeliness to change their alcohol use, and 28% reported some intention to consult a health care professional about their alcohol use as a result of their screening results. Ninety-three percent reported CASI was easy to use, 93% felt comfortable receiving alcohol education via computer, and 89% liked using CASI. Ninety percent of patients correctly identified their alcohol risk level after participating in CASI. With regard to research staff experience, RAs needed to provide standby assistance to patients during <1% of CASI administrations and needed to troubleshoot computer issues in 4% of interviews. The RAs distributed the correct alcohol risk normative profiles to patients 97% of the time and provided patients with treatment referrals when indicated 81% of the time. The RAs rated patients as “not bothered at all” by using CASI 94% of the time.

Conclusions

This study demonstrates that an ED-based computerized alcohol screening program is both acceptable to patients and effective in educating patients about their alcohol risk level. Additionally, this study demonstrates that few logistical problems related to using computers for these interventions were experienced by research staff: in most cases, staff accurately deployed alcohol risk education to patients, and in all cases, the computer provided accurate education to patients. Computer-assisted SBIRT may represent a significant time-saving measure, allowing EDs to reach larger numbers of patients for alcohol intervention without causing undue clinical burden or interruptions to clinical care. Future studies with follow-up are needed to replicate these results and assess drinking reductions post-intervention.

Brief intervention and social work: a primer for practice and policy

Most individuals in need of help for alcohol use disorders do not receive care. Screening and brief intervention (SBI) is an evidence-based practice for reducing at-risk drinking and alcohol-related risk behaviors. Health care reform sets the stage for a large expansion of SBI to individuals in the United States. Social workers have the opportunity to play an important role in helping establish SBI nationally, but they must become more involved in its delivery, educating new social workers with respect to SBI practice, and taking part in research to expand the field's knowledge of this service.

Gender, violence and brief interventions for alcohol in the emergency department

BACKGROUND

The impact of gender and violence on brief interventions (BIs) for alcohol use in the emergency department (ED) has not been studied. Our objective was to examine the effectiveness of alcohol BIs in an ED population stratified by gender and violence.

METHODS

This was a secondary analysis of datasets pooled from three ED-based randomized controlled studies of alcohol BIs. AUDIT-C was the primary outcome measure; secondary outcomes were binge drinking and achievement of NIAAA safe drinking levels. We conducted univariate comparisons and developed generalized linear models (GLM) for the primary outcome and generalized estimating equation (GEE) models for secondary outcomes to examine the intervention effect on the whole study group, gender-stratified subgroups, and gender- and violence-stratified subgroups.

RESULTS

Of 1219 participants enrolled, 30% were female; 31% of women and 42% of men reported violence involvement at baseline. In univariate analysis, no differences in outcomes were found between intervention and control groups for any subgroup. However, in multivariable models, men demonstrated an intervention effect for likelihood of safe drinking limits. Stratifying further by violence, only men without violence involvement demonstrated a positive intervention effect for safe drinking limits. There was no evidence of an intervention effect on women.

CONCLUSIONS

Analyzing the overall effect of ED-based BI may mask its ability to improve alcohol-related outcomes in a subset of the population. Alternatively, interventions may need to be significantly improved in subsets of the ED population, e.g., in women and in men with involvement in violence.

Attitudes toward technology-based health information among adult emergency department patients with drug or alcohol misuse

Technology-based screening and interventions are emerging solutions to the challenge of addressing substance use in the emergency department (ED). A standardized questionnaire of adult patients at a large-volume, urban, academic ED assessed interest in, and potential barriers to, technology-based substance use information. Questionnaire topics included substance use, access to technology, preferences for health information, and perceived barriers to technology interventions. Among the 430 participants, mean age was 39 years and 55% were female; 37% reported alcohol misuse and 52% drug misuse. Access to technology was high. Technology was preferred by 46% of alcohol misusers (vs. 43% non-misusers, p=0.65) but only 41.9% of drug misusers (vs. 56% non-drug misusers, p=0.005). In multivariate analyses, drug misuse was associated with decreased interest in receiving technology-based information. Cited barriers included confidentiality, complexity, and time. Our findings suggest that drug misusers in particular may wish to have reassurances about the confidentiality of technology-based interactions.

Combining rapid HIV testing and a brief alcohol intervention in young unhealthy drinkers in the emergency department: a pilot study

BACKGROUND

We sought to determine the feasibility and impact of brief alcohol/ sexual risk reduction counseling with rapid HIV testing in the emergency department (ED).

METHODS

We recruited 18-40 year olds with unhealthy alcohol use, sexual risk behaviors, and negative/unknown HIV status and assessed for differences in their alcohol consumption and sexual risk behaviors at baseline versus 2 months.

RESULTS

Participants (n = 85) were 61% male, mean age 26 years old, 59% white, 92% unmarried, 57% college educated, 45% without a regular doctor, and 80% with an Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) score ≥8. All rapid HIV tests were negative. Among the 70 (82%) with follow-up, alcohol consumption decreased with fewer average weekly drinks (23.6 vs. 9.8, p = .003) and binge drinking episodes (2.0 vs. .9, p = .012). Post-intervention, sexual risk decreased, including increased condom use (23% vs. 46%, p = .007). Women had a greater decrease in alcohol use prior to sex compared with men (p = .021 for interaction).

CONCLUSIONS

Alcohol/sexual risk reduction counseling with HIV testing in the ED is feasible and potentially effective for reducing alcohol use and sexual risk behaviors among young unhealthy drinkers.

SCIENTIFIC SIGNIFICANCE

Future randomized controlled trials are warranted to assess efficacy of this intervention, which would provide young at-risk populations with important preventive services, which they may not have access to otherwise.

Sex differences in alcohol misuse and estimated blood alcohol concentrations among emergency department patients: implications for brief interventions

OBJECTIVES

The objective was to assess the relationship between alcohol use and misuse and patient sex among emergency department (ED) patients by comparing self-reported estimates of quantity and frequency of alcohol use, estimated blood alcohol concentrations (eBACs) when typically drinking and during heavy episodic drinking (binging), and alcohol misuse severity, to understand sex differences in alcohol use and misuse for this population.

METHODS

The authors surveyed a random sample of nonintoxicated, subcritically ill or injured, 18- to 64-year-old English- or Spanish-speaking patients on randomly selected dates and times at two EDs during July 2009 and August 2009. Participants self-administered a questionnaire about their self-reported alcohol use during a typical month within the past 12 months and the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT). Using the formulae by Matthews and Miller, sex-specific eBACs were calculated for participants according to their reported weight and the number of reported alcoholic drinks consumed on days when typically drinking and on days of heavy episodic (binge) drinking (five or more drinks/occasion for men, four or more drinks for women). Sex-specific alcohol misuse severity levels (low-risk, harmful, hazardous, and dependence) were calculated using AUDIT scores. Wilcoxon rank-sum and Pearson's chi-square tests were used to compare outcomes by sex. Negative binomial regression was used to assess the relationship between sex and the number of drinks consumed on a typical day, the number of days spent drinking and binging, and estimated AUDIT scores. Logistic regression was used to assess the outcome of the presence of binging according to sex. Multinomial logistic regression was used to compare by sex the percentage of days spent drinking and binging in 1 month, eBACs when typically drinking and when binging, and AUDIT at-risk drinking levels. Incidence rate ratios (IRRs) and adjusted odds ratios (AORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated. All models were adjusted for patient demographic characteristics.

RESULTS

Of the 513 participants, 52.1% were women, 55.8% were white non-Hispanic, and their median age was 34 years (interquartile range [IQR] = 25 to 46 years). Men reported greater mean alcohol consumption than women when typically drinking (4.3 vs. 3.3 drinks/day; p < 0.001) and during heavy episodic drinking (8.6 vs. 5.3 drinks/occasion; p < 0.001). Men spent more days drinking (IRR = 1.41, 95% CI = 1.19 to 1.65) and engaging in heavy episodic drinking (IRR = 1.68, 95% CI = 1.31 to 2.17) than women. Additionally, men were more likely to engage in heavy episodic drinking (AOR = 1.72, 95% CI = 1.16 to 2.56) than women. However, the mean eBACs for men and women were similar when typically drinking (0.05 vs. 0.06; p < 0.13) and during heavy episodic drinking (0.13 vs. 0.12; p < 0.13). Mean AUDIT scores were greater for men than women (7.5 vs. 5.3; p < 0.001), although alcohol misuse severity levels were similar between men and women (24.4% vs. 26.6% for hazardous, 2.8% vs. 2.2% for harmful, and 6.5% vs. 3.4% for dependence; p < 0.38).

CONCLUSIONS

Although men drink more than women, women have similar eBACs with comparable levels of alcohol misuse. Women may benefit from recognizing that they are reaching similar levels of intoxication compared to men. Addressing these differences and possible health implications in future ED brief interventions may induce changes in problematic alcohol use among women.

A brief intervention reduces hazardous and harmful drinking in emergency department patients

STUDY OBJECTIVE

Brief interventions have been shown to reduce alcohol use and improve outcomes in hazardous and harmful drinkers, but evidence to support their use in emergency department (ED) patients is limited. The use of research assessments in studies of brief interventions may contribute to uncertainty about their effectiveness. Therefore we seek to determine (1) if an emergency practitioner-performed Brief Negotiation Interview or a Brief Negotiation Interview with a booster reduces alcohol consumption compared with standard care; and (2) the impact of research assessments on drinking outcomes using a standard care-no-assessment group.

METHODS

We randomized 889 adult ED patients with hazardous and harmful drinking. A total of 740 received an emergency practitioner-performed Brief Negotiation Interview (n=297), a Brief Negotiation Interview with a 1-month follow-up telephone booster (Brief Negotiation Interview with booster) (n=295), or standard care (n=148). We also included a standard care with no assessments (n=149) group to examine the effect of assessments on drinking outcomes. Primary outcomes analyzed with mixed-models procedures included past 7-day alcohol consumption and 28-day binge episodes at 6 and 12 months, collected by interactive voice response. Secondary outcomes included negative health behaviors and consequences collected by telephone surveys.

RESULTS

The reduction in mean number of drinks in the past 7 days from baseline to 6 and 12 months was significantly greater in the Brief Negotiation Interview with booster (from 20.4 [95% confidence interval {CI} 18.8 to 22.0] to 11.6 [95% CI 9.7 to 13.5] to 13.0 [95% CI 10.5 to 15.5]) and Brief Negotiation Interview (from 19.8 [95% CI 18.3 to 21.4] to 12.7 [95% CI 10.8 to 14.6] to 14.3 [95% CI 11.9 to 16.8]) than in standard care (from 20.9 [95% CI 18.7 to 23.2] to 14.2 [95% CI 11.2 to 17.1] to 17.6 [95% CI 14.1 to 21.2]). The reduction in 28-day binge episodes was also greater in the Brief Negotiation Interview with booster (from 7.5 [95% CI 6.8 to 8.2] to 4.4 [95% CI 3.6 to 5.2] to 4.7 [95% CI 3.9 to 5.6]) and Brief Negotiation Interview (from 7.2 [95% CI 6.5 to 7.9] to 4.8 [95% CI 4.0 to 5.6] to 5.1 [95% CI 4.2 to 5.9]) than in standard care (from 7.2 [95% CI 6.2 to 8.2] to 5.7 [95% CI 4.5 to 6.9] to 5.8 [95% CI 4.6 to 7.0]). The Brief Negotiation Interview with booster offered no significant benefit over the Brief Negotiation Interview alone. There were no differences in drinking outcomes between the standard care and standard care-no assessment groups. The reductions in rates of driving after drinking more than 3 drinks from baseline to 12 months were greater in the Brief Negotiation Interview (38% to 29%) and Brief Negotiation Interview with booster (39% to 31%) groups than in the standard care group (43% to 42%).

CONCLUSION

Emergency practitioner-performed brief interventions can reduce alcohol consumption and episodes of driving after drinking in hazardous and harmful drinkers. These results support the use of brief interventions in ED settings.

Readiness to change, drinking, and negative consequences among Polish SBIRT patients

The aim of this study is to examine the longitudinal relationship of readiness to change, drinking pattern, amount of alcohol consumed, and alcohol-related negative consequences among at-risk and dependent drinkers enrolled in a Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) trial in an emergency department in southern Poland. The study examined 299 patients randomized to either an assessment or intervention condition and followed at 3 and 12 months after initial presentation. Patients indicating a readiness or were unsure of changing drinking behavior were significantly more likely to decrease the maximum number of drinks per occasion and the usual number of drinks in a sitting in the 3-months following study entry when compared to those that rated changing drinking behavior as unimportant. Readiness to change was not predictive of outcomes between the baseline and 12-month follow-up. Drinking outcomes and negative consequences by readiness and research condition were non-significant. This is the first Polish study utilizing SBIRT to enable patients to identify their hazardous drinking and reduce alcohol consumption. While some drinking outcomes improved with motivation, these improvements were not maintained at 12-months following SBIRT. Attention to additional constructs of readiness to change and drinking patterns may augment the effectiveness of SBIRT.

Text-message-based drinking assessments and brief interventions for young adults discharged from the emergency department

BACKGROUND

Brief interventions have the potential to reduce heavy drinking in young adults who present to the emergency department (ED), but require time and resources rarely available. Text-messaging (TM) may provide an effective way to collect drinking data from young adults after ED discharge as well as to provide immediate feedback and ongoing support for behavior change. The feasibility of screening young adults in the ED, recruiting them for a TM-based interventional trial, collecting weekly drinking data through TM, and the variance in drinking outcomes remains unknown.

METHODS

Young adults in 3 urban EDs (n = 45; aged 18 to 24 years, 54% women) identified as hazardous drinkers by the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test-Consumption score were randomly assigned to weekly TM-based feedback with goal setting (Intervention), weekly TM-based drinking assessments without feedback (Assessment), or control. Participants in the Intervention group who reported ≥5 (for men) and ≥4 (for women) maximum drinks during any one 24-hour period were asked whether they would set a goal to reduce their drinking the following week. We describe the interaction with TM and goal setting. We also describe the heavy drinking days (HDDs), drinks per drinking day (DPDD) using timeline follow-back procedure at baseline and 3 months.

RESULTS

We screened 109 young adults over 157 hours across 24 unique days and 52 (48%; 95% CI 38 to 50) screened positive for hazardous drinking. Of these, 45 (87%; 95% CI 74 to 94) met inclusion criteria, were enrolled and randomized, and 6 (13%; 95% CI 5 to 27) did not complete 3-month web-based follow-up; 88% (95% CI 84 to 91) of weekly TM-based drinking assessments were answered, with 77% (95% CI 58 to 90) of participants responding to all 12 weeks. Agreeing to set a goal was associated with a repeat HDD 36% (95% CI 17 to 55) of the time compared with 63% (95% CI 44 to 81) when not willing to set a goal. At 3 months, participants that were exposed to the TM-based intervention had 3.4 (SD 5.4) fewer HDDs in the last month and 2.1 (SD 1.5) fewer DPDD when compared to baseline.

CONCLUSIONS

TM can be used to assess drinking in young adults and can deliver brief interventions to young adults discharged from the ED. TM-based interventions have the potential to reduce heavy drinking among young adults but larger studies are needed to establish efficacy.

The role of demographic characteristics and readiness to change in 12-month outcome from two distinct brief interventions for impaired drivers

OBJECTIVES

This study tested specific intervention responsivity to brief intervention in driving while impaired by alcohol and/or drugs recidivists based upon their demographic, substance use, and initial readiness to change characteristics.

METHODS

A nonclinical community-based sample of 184 male and female recidivists was randomly assigned to receive one of two 30-minute interventions: brief motivational interviewing (n = 92) or an information-advice session (n = 92). Dependent variables were change at the 6- and 12-month follow-ups from baseline in percentage of risky drinking days and blood assay biomarkers of alcohol misuse. Independent variables were age, gender, education, past convictions for impaired driving, and baseline alcohol and drug misuse severity and readiness to change.

RESULTS

Recidivists who were younger, male, and exhibited more negative consequences and ambivalence towards their problem drinking improved more on alcohol-related outcomes, irrespective of intervention type.

CONCLUSIONS

The results do not convincingly indicate specific intervention responsivity based upon participant characteristics but provide preliminary guidance about which recidivists are most apt to benefit from these brief approaches.

New developments in brief interventions to treat problem drinking in nonspecialty health care settings

The delivery of brief interventions (BIs) in health care settings to reduce problematic alcohol consumption is a key preventive strategy for public health. However, evidence of effectiveness beyond primary care is inconsistent. Patient populations and intervention components are heterogeneous. Also, evidence for successful implementation strategies is limited. In this article, recent literature is reviewed covering BI effectiveness for patient populations and subgroups, and design and implementation of BIs. Support is evident for short-term effectiveness in hospital settings, but long-term effects may be confounded by changes in control groups. Limited evidence suggests effectiveness with young patients not admitted as a consequence of alcohol, dependent patients, and binge drinkers. Influential BI components include high-quality change plans and provider characteristics. Health professionals endorse BI and feel confident in delivering it, but training and support initiatives continue to show no significant effects on uptake, prompting calls for systematic approaches to implementing BI in health care.

Severity of acute illness is associated with baseline readiness to change in medical intensive care unit patients with unhealthy alcohol use

BACKGROUND

Unhealthy alcohol use predisposes to multiple conditions that frequently result in critical illness and is present in up to one-third of patients admitted to a medical intensive care unit (ICU). We sought to determine the baseline readiness to change in medical ICU patients with unhealthy alcohol use and hypothesized that the severity of acute illness would be independently associated with higher scores on readiness to change scales. We further sought to determine whether this effect is modified by the severity of unhealthy alcohol use.

METHODS

We performed a cross-sectional observational study of current regular drinkers in 3 medical ICUs. The Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test was used to differentiate low-risk and unhealthy alcohol use and further categorize patients into risky alcohol use or an alcohol use disorder. The severity of a patient's acute illness was assessed by calculating the Acute Physiologic and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II) score at the time of admission to the medical ICU. Readiness to change was assessed using standardized questionnaires.

RESULTS

Of 101 medical ICU patients who were enrolled, 65 met the criteria for unhealthy alcohol use. The association between the severity of acute illness and readiness to change depended on the instrument used. A higher severity of illness measured by APACHE II score was an independent predictor of readiness to change as assessed by the Stages of Change Readiness and Treatment Eagerness Scale (Taking Action scale; p < 0.01). When a visual analog scale was used to assess readiness to change, there was a significant association with severity of acute illness (p < 0.01) that was modified by the severity of unhealthy alcohol use (p = 0.04 for interaction term).

CONCLUSIONS

Medical ICU patients represent a population where brief interventions require further study. Studies of brief intervention should account for the severity of acute illness and the severity of unhealthy alcohol use as potential effect modifiers.

Brief alcohol intervention by newly trained workers versus leaflets: comparison of effect in older heavy drinkers identified in a population health examination survey: a randomized controlled trial

AIMS

To test if a brief motivational intervention (BMI) in a non-treatment seeking population of heavy drinkers results in a reduced alcohol intake.

METHODS

Screening of 12,364 participants in a Danish health examination survey led to 1026 heavy drinkers of whom 772 were included and randomized to a BMI group (n = 391) or a control group (n = 381) receiving two leaflets about alcohol. Follow-up took place after 6 and 12 months including 670 and 616 participants respectively. The outcome measure was self-reported weekly alcohol consumption. Data were analysed according to the intention-to-treat principle. We used the Motivational Interviewing Treatment Integrity 3.0 code (MITI) as a quality control of the interventions delivered.

RESULTS

The intervention effect of the BMI was -1.0 drinks/week, but the effect was not significant. The MITI analysis showed that the quality of the BMI delivered was sub-optimal, as only one of four aspects was above the recommended level for beginning proficiency.

CONCLUSION

We found no effect of a BMI in reducing alcohol consumption. The generalizability of the study is questionable, as individuals with the lowest level of education, low income and unmarried individuals are under-represented.

Secondary prevention in the intensive care unit: does intensive care unit admission represent a "teachable moment?"

OBJECTIVES

Cigarette smoking and unhealthy alcohol use are common causes of preventable morbidity and mortality that frequently result in admission to an intensive care unit. Understanding how to identify and intervene in these conditions is important because critical illness may provide a "teachable moment." Furthermore, the Joint Commission recently proposed screening and receipt of an intervention for tobacco use and unhealthy alcohol use as candidate performance measures for all hospitalized patients. Understanding the efficacy of these interventions may help drive evidence-based institution of programs, if deemed appropriate.

DATA SOURCES

A summary of the published medical literature on interventions for unhealthy alcohol use and smoking obtained through a PubMed search.

SUMMARY

Interventions focusing on behavioral counseling for cigarette smoking in hospitalized patients have been extensively studied. Several studies include or focus on critically ill patients. The evidence demonstrates that behavioral counseling leads to increased rates of smoking cessation but the effect depends on the intensity of the intervention. The identification of unhealthy alcohol use can lead to brief interventions. These interventions are particularly effective in trauma patients with unhealthy alcohol use. However, the current literature would not support routine delivery of brief interventions for unhealthy alcohol use in the medical intensive care unit population.

CONCLUSIONS

Intensive care unit admission represents a "teachable moment" for smokers and some patients with unhealthy alcohol use. Future studies should assess the efficacy of brief interventions for unhealthy alcohol use in medical intensive care unit patients. In addition, identification of the timing and optimal individual to conduct the intervention will be necessary.