A comparison of the efficacy of brief interventions to reduce hazardous and harmful alcohol consumption between European and non-European countries: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Development of culturally-appropriate text message booster content to follow a brief intervention focused on reducing alcohol related harms for injury patients in Moshi, Tanzania

Alcohol use is a risk factor for death and disability and is attributed to almost one-third of injury deaths globally. This highlights the need for interventions aimed at alcohol reduction, especially in areas with high rates of injury with concurrent alcohol use, such as Tanzania. The aim of this study is to create a culturally appropriate text messages as a booster to a brief negotiational intervention (BNI), to in the Emergency Department of the Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre, Moshi, Tanzania. Creation of text message boosters for an ED-based intervention expands the window of opportunity for alcohol use reduction in this high-risk population. The study followed a two-step approach to create the text message content in English and then translate and culturally adapt to Tanzanian Swahili. The culturalization process followed the World Health Organization's process of translation and adaptation of instruments. Translation, back translation, and qualitative focus groups were used for quality control to ensure text message content accuracy and cultural appropriateness. In total, nearly 50 text messages were initially developed in English, yet only 29 text messages were successfully translated and adapted; they were focused on the themes of Self-awareness, Goal setting and Motivation. We developed culturally appropriate text message boosters in Swahili for injury patients in Tanzania coupled with a BNI for alcohol use reduction. We found it important to evaluate content validation for interventions and measurement tools because the intended text message can often be lost in translation. The process of culturalization is critical in order to create interventions that are applicable and beneficial to the target population. Trial registration: Clinical Trials Registration Number: NCT02828267, NCT04535011.

Association of liver function and prognosis in patients with severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome

OBJECTIVES

Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is an epidemic emerging infectious disease with high mortality rate. We investigated the association between liver injury and clinical outcomes in patients with SFTS.

METHODS

A total of 291 hospitalized SFTS patients were retrospectively included. Cox proportional hazards model was adopted to identify risk factors of fatal outcome and Kaplan-Meier curves were used to estimate cumulative risks.

RESULTS

60.1% of patients had liver injury at admission, and the median alanine transaminase, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and total bilirubin (TBil) levels were 76.4 U/L, 152.3 U/L, 69.8 U/L and 9.9 μmol/L, respectively. Compared to survivors, non-survivors had higher levels of AST (253.0 U/L vs. 131.1 U/L, P < 0.001) and ALP (86.2 U/L vs. 67.9 U/L, P = 0.006), higher proportion of elevated ALP (20.0% vs. 4.4%, P < 0.001) and liver injury (78.5% vs. 54.9%, P = 0.001) at admission. The presence of liver injury (HR 2.049, P = 0.033) at admission was an independent risk factor of fatal outcome.

CONCLUSIONS

Liver injury was a common complication and was strongly associated with poor prognosis in SFTS patients. Liver function indicators should be closely monitored for SFTS patients.

Feasibility of a pragmatic randomized adaptive clinical trial to evaluate a brief negotiational interview for harmful and hazardous alcohol use in Moshi, Tanzania

INTRODUCTION

Low-resourced settings often lack personnel and infrastructure for alcohol use disorder treatment. We culturally adapted a Brief Negotiational Interview (BNI) for Emergency Department injury patients, the "Punguza Pombe Kwa Afya Yako (PPKAY)" ("Reduce Alcohol For Your Health") in Tanzania. This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of a pragmatic randomized adaptive controlled trial of the PPKAY intervention.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This feasibility trial piloted a single-blind, parallel, adaptive, and multi-stage, block-randomized controlled trial, which will subsequently be used to determine the most effective intervention, with or without text message booster, to reduce alcohol use among injury patients. We reported our feasibility pilot study using the Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, Maintenance (RE-AIM) framework, with recruitment and retention rates being our primary and secondary outcomes. We enrolled adult patients seeking care for an acute injury at the Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Center in Tanzania if they (1) exhibited an Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT) ≥8, (2) disclosed alcohol use prior to injury, or (3) had a breathalyzer ≥0.0 on arrival. Intervention arms were usual care (UC), PPKAY, PPKAY with standard text booster, or a PPKAY with a personalized text booster.

RESULTS

Overall, 181 patients were screened and 75 enrolled with 80% 6-week, 82.7% 3-month and 84% 6-month follow-up rates showing appropriate Reach and retention. Adoption measures showed an overwhelmingly positive patient acceptance with 100% of patients perceiving a positive impact on their behavior. The Implementation and trial processes were performed with high rates of PPKAY fidelity (76%) and SMS delivery (74%). Intervention nurses believed Maintenance and sustainability of this 30-minute, low-cost intervention and adaptive clinical trial were feasible.

CONCLUSIONS

Our intervention and trial design are feasible and acceptable, have evidence of good fidelity, and did not show problematic deviations in protocol. Results suggest support for undertaking a full trial to evaluate the effectiveness of the PPKAY, a nurse-driven BNI in a low-income country.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

Trial registration number NCT02828267. https://classic.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02828267.

Effectiveness and implementation of interventions for health promotion in urgent and emergency care settings: an umbrella review

BACKGROUND

Urgent and emergency care (UEC) settings provide an opportunity to prevent ill-health and promote healthy lifestyles with potential to screen and deliver interventions to under-served, at-risk populations. The aim of this study was to synthesise and summarise the evidence on the effectiveness and implementation of interventions for health promotion in UEC settings.

METHODS

PubMed and Embase (OVID) databases were used to search for studies published in English between January 2010 and January 2023. Systematic reviews and meta-analyses of studies that examined the effectiveness or implementation of face-to-face health promotion interventions for lifestyle behaviours delivered in UEC settings were eligible. Extracted data were synthesised and qualitatively summarised by lifestyle behaviour. Reviews were quality assessed using AMSTAR 2.

RESULTS

Eighteen reviews met the inclusion criteria; all included studies were conducted in emergency departments or trauma units. We identified 15 reviews on alcohol interventions (13 on effectiveness; 2 on implementation) and 3 on smoking interventions (effectiveness). There were no reviews of intervention studies targeting physical activity or diet and nutrition. There was heterogeneity across studies for study design, target populations, intervention design and content, comparator/control groups and outcomes assessed. The effectiveness of alcohol and smoking interventions in UEC settings varied but some reviews provided evidence of a significant decrease in alcohol consumption, alcohol-related outcomes and smoking in intervention groups, particularly in the short-term and in specific population groups. Research has focused on 'brief' interventions as part of screening, brief intervention and referral to treatment (SBIRT) approaches. Interventions are delivered by a wide range of staff with substantial variation in design. Alcohol brief interventions appear to be acceptable to UEC patients but clinicians face barriers in delivering them.

CONCLUSIONS

UEC settings have been under-researched and appear to be under-utilised for delivering health promotion activities, except for alcohol prevention. Review level evidence suggests alcohol and smoking interventions are warranted in some population groups. However, further research is needed to determine the optimal intervention design, content and delivery mode for lifestyle behaviours which are suitable for implementation in UEC settings and promote long-term intervention effectiveness. Changes in clinical practice may be needed, including increased training, integration into service delivery and supportive policy, to facilitate the implementation of SBIRT for lifestyle behaviours. Interventions may need to be delivered in the wider UEC system such as urgent care centres, minor injury units and walk-in centres, in addition to emergency departments and trauma units, to support and increase health promotion activities in UEC settings.

Which interventions for alcohol use should be included in a universal healthcare benefit package? An umbrella review of targeted interventions to address harmful drinking and dependence

BACKGROUND

This study aimed to identify targeted interventions for the prevention and treatment of harmful alcohol use. Umbrella review methodology was used to summarise the effectiveness across a broad range of interventions, in order to identify which interventions should be considered for inclusion within universal health coverage schemes in low- and middle-income countries.

METHODS AND FINDINGS

We included systematic reviews with meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) on targeted interventions addressing alcohol use in harmful drinkers or individuals with alcohol use disorder. We only included outcomes related to alcohol consumption, heavy drinking, binge drinking, abstinence, or alcohol-attributable accident, injury, morbidity or mortality. PubMed, Embase, PsycINFO, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and the International HTA Database were searched from inception to 3 September 2021. Risk of bias of reviews was assessed using the AMSTAR2 tool. After reviewing the abstracts of 9,167 articles, results were summarised narratively and certainty in the body of evidence for each intervention was assessed using GRADE. In total, 86 studies met the inclusion criteria, of which the majority reported outcomes for brief intervention (30 studies) or pharmacological interventions (29 studies). Overall, methodological quality of included studies was low.

CONCLUSIONS

For harmful drinking, brief interventions, cognitive behavioural therapy, and motivational interviewing showed a small effect, whereas mentoring in adolescents and children may have a significant long-term effect. For alcohol use disorder, social network approaches and acamprosate showed evidence of a significant and durable effect. More evidence is required on the effectiveness of gamma-hydroxybutyric acid (GHB), nalmefene, and quetiapine, as well as optimal combinations of pharmacological and psychosocial interventions. As an umbrella review, we were unable to identify the extent to which variation between studies stemmed from differences in intervention delivery or variation between country contexts. Further research is required on applicability of findings across settings and best practice for implementation. Funded by the Thai Health Promotion Foundation, grant number 61-00-1812.

Common strategies in empirically supported psychological interventions for alcohol use disorders: A meta-review

ISSUES

Despite the large number of effective psychological interventions for alcohol use disorders (AUD), there is still a lack of clarity concerning the strategies that make these interventions effective.

APPROACH

The overall goal of this review was to identify, examine and synthesise the information about common strategies from evidence-based psychological interventions for AUDs by conducting a review of systematic reviews, that is, a meta-review. We isolated the relevant primary studies from eligible systematic reviews and extracted information about the interventions from these studies to understand the strategies used. Analysis was restricted to narrative summaries.

KEY FINDINGS

Thirteen reviews were eligible for inclusion in our meta-review. Of these, eight demonstrated the effectiveness of a range of psychological interventions-behavioural couples therapy, cognitive behaviour therapy combined with motivational interviewing, brief interventions, contingency management, psychotherapy plus brief interventions, Alcoholics Anonymous and 12-step treatment programs, family-therapy or family-involved treatment, and community reinforcement approach. The most commonly used component strategies in effective interventions for AUDs included assessment, personalised feedback, motivational interviewing, goal setting, setting and review of homework, problem solving skills and relapse prevention/management.

IMPLICATIONS

Evidence about commonly used strategies in evidence-based psychological interventions for AUDs offer the possibility of creating menu-driven interventions that can be tailored to respond to individual client needs and preferences in different contexts.

Feasibility of SMS booster for alcohol reduction in injury patients in Tanzania

Alcohol use is associated with 3 million annual deaths globally. Harmful alcohol use, which is associated with a high burden of disease in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), often increases the probability of traumatic injury. Treatments for harmful alcohol use in LMICs, such as Tanzania, lack trained personnel and adequate infrastructure. The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility of using SMS boosters to augment a hospital based brief negotiational intervention (BNI) in this low resourced setting. We conducted a three stage, four arm feasibility trial of a culturally adapted BNI for injury patients with harmful and hazardous drinking admitted to Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre (KCMC) in Moshi, Tanzania. Post hospital discharge, two of the four arms included patients receiving either a standard or personalized short message service (SMS) booster to enhance and or perpetuate the effect of the in-hospital BNI. Text messages were sent weekly throughout a 3-month follow-up period. SMS feasibility was assessed according to the TIDier checklist evaluating what, when, how much, tailoring processes, modifications and how well (intervention fidelity). Data was collected with SMS logs and short answer surveys to participants. A total of 41 study participants were assigned to each receive 12 SMS over a three-month period; 38 received messages correctly, 3 did not receive intended messages, and 1 received a message who was not intended to. Of the 258 attempted texts, 73% were successfully sent through the messaging system. Of the messages that failed delivery, the majority were not able to be sent due to participants traveling out of cellular service range or turning off their phones. Participants interviewed in both booster arms reported that messages were appropriate, and that they would appreciate the continuation of such reminders. At 6-month follow-up, 100% (n = 11) of participants interviewed believed that the boosters had a positive impact on their behavior, with 90% reporting a large impact. This study demonstrated feasibility and acceptability of the integration of SMS mobile health technology to supplement this type of nurse-led BNI. SMS booster is a practical tool that can potentially prolong the impact of a brief hospital based intervention to enact behavioral change in injury patients with AUD.

Prevalence and characteristics of hazardous and harmful drinkers receiving general practitioners' brief advice on and support with alcohol consumption in Germany: results of a population survey

OBJECTIVE

The German treatment guideline on alcohol-related disorders recommends that general practitioners (GPs) offer brief advice on, and support with, reducing alcohol consumption to hazardous (at risk for health events) and harmful (exhibit health events) drinking patients. We aimed to estimate the implementation of this recommendation using general population data.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional analysis of data (2021/2022) of a nationwide, population-based household survey.

SETTING

Germany.

PARTICIPANTS

Population-based sample of 2247 adult respondents who reported hazardous or harmful drinking according to the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test-Consumption (AUDIT-C; score women: 4-12 and men: 5-12).

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE

Ever receipt of 'brief GP advice on, or support with, reducing alcohol consumption'. Differences in the likelihood of ever receiving advice and/or support (yes/no) relative to respondents' sociodemographic, smoking and alcohol consumption characteristics were estimated using logistic regressions.

RESULTS

Ever receipt of GP advice on/support with reducing drinking was reported among 6.3% (95% CI=5.3% to 7.4%), and the offer of support among 1.5% (95% CI=1.1% to 2.1%) of the hazardous and harmful drinking respondents. The likelihood of having ever received advice/support was positively associated with being older (OR=1.03 per year, 95% CI=1.01 to 1.04), a current or former (vs never) smoker (OR=2.36, 95% CI=1.46 to 3.80; OR=2.17, 95% CI=1.23 to 3.81) and with increasing alcohol consumption (OR=1.76 per score, 95% CI=1.59 to 1.95). One in two harmful drinking respondents (AUDIT-C score 10-12) reported appropriate advice/support. The likelihood was negatively associated with being woman (eg, OR=0.32, 95% CI=0.21 to 0.48), having a medium or high (vs low) education and with increasing household income.

CONCLUSIONS

A small proportion of hazardous and harmful drinking people in Germany report having ever received GP advice on, or support with, reducing alcohol consumption. The implementation of advice/support seems to be linked to specific socio-demographic characteristics, tobacco smoking and alcohol consumption level. Health policy measures should aim to increase alcohol screening, brief intervention rates and awareness for at-risk populations in primary care.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

DRKS00011322, DRKS00017157.

Patient-level interventions to reduce alcohol-related harms in low- and middle-income countries: A systematic review and meta-summary

BACKGROUND

Disease and disability from alcohol use disproportionately impact people in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). While varied interventions have been shown to reduce alcohol use in high-income countries, their efficacy in LMICs has not been assessed. This systematic review describes current published literature on patient-level alcohol interventions in LMICs and specifically describes clinical trials evaluating interventions to reduce alcohol use in LMICs.

METHODS AND FINDINGS

In accordance with PRISMA, we performed a systematic review using an electronic search strategy from January 1, 1995 to December 1, 2020. Title, abstract, as well as full-text screening and extraction were performed in duplicate. A meta-summary was performed on randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that evaluated alcohol-related outcomes. We searched the following electronic databases: PubMed, EMBASE, Scopus, Web of Science, Cochrane, WHO Global Health Library, and PsycINFO. Articles that evaluated patient-level interventions targeting alcohol use and alcohol-related harm in LMICs were eligible for inclusion. No studies were excluded based on language. After screening 5,036 articles, 117 articles fit our inclusion criteria, 75 of which were RCTs. Of these RCTs, 93% were performed in 13 middle-income countries, while 7% were from 2 low-income countries. These RCTs evaluated brief interventions (24, defined as any intervention ranging from advice to counseling, lasting less than 1 hour per session up to 4 sessions), psychotherapy or counseling (15, defined as an interaction with a counselor longer than a brief intervention or that included a psychotherapeutic component), health promotion and education (20, defined as an intervention encouraged individuals' agency of taking care of their health), or biologic treatments (19, defined as interventions where the biological function of alcohol use disorder (AUD) as the main nexus of intervention) with 3 mixing categories of intervention types. Due to high heterogeneity of intervention types, outcome measures, and follow-up times, we did not conduct meta-analysis to compare and contrast studies, but created a meta-summary of all 75 RCT studies. The most commonly evaluated intervention with the most consistent positive effect was a brief intervention; similarly, motivational interviewing (MI) techniques were most commonly utilized among the diverse array of interventions evaluated.

CONCLUSIONS

Our review demonstrated numerous patient-level interventions that have the potential to be effective in LMICs, but further research to standardize interventions, populations, and outcome measures is necessary to accurately assess their effectiveness. Brief interventions and MI techniques were the most commonly evaluated and had the most consistent positive effect on alcohol-related outcomes.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

Protocol Registry: PROSPERO CRD42017055549.

Efficacy of brief intervention for harmful and hazardous alcohol use: a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies from low middle-income countries

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Low and middle-income countries (LMIC) have a disproportionately higher alcohol-attributable disease burden, in conjunction with a minimal focus on primary prevention. Screening and brief interventions can be a promising approach to address this problem. This systematic review aimed to perform a qualitative and quantitative synthesis of studies of brief interventions for harmful and hazardous alcohol use in LMIC.

METHODS

Systematic review of randomized controlled trials of brief interventions for harmful and hazardous alcohol identified from four electronic databases, conducted in any country identified as LMIC as per the World Bank. We measured differences in intervention and control groups on risk-scores using standard screening instruments, the frequency of heavy drinking, the drinking risk-level, or quality of life and other mental health-related outcomes.

RESULTS

A total of 14 studies were included, seven of them from South Africa. On standardized screening instruments, the brief intervention (BI) group had significantly lower scores than controls at 3 months (Hedges' g = - 0.34, P = 0.04), but the effects did not persist at 6- and 12-month follow-up (g = - 0.06, P = 0.68 and g = 0.15, P = 0.41, respectively). There was little evidence to suggest that BIs led to changes in the frequency of heavy drinking or change in the risk level of alcohol use. Surprisingly, a single session (g = -0.55, P < 0.001) fared better than multiple sessions (g = -0.03, P = 0.85). A nurse delivered brief intervention (g = -0.44, P = 0.02) showed better results than BIs delivered by others (g = -0.14, P = 0.66), whereas the outcomes were similar for young adults and middle-age people.

CONCLUSION

Brief interventions for alcohol use show some promise in low- and middle-income countries. Specifically, a single session, nurse-delivered brief intervention for harmful and hazardous alcohol use appears to show a small but significant positive effect in low- and middle-income countries.

PRACT: a pragmatic randomized adaptive clinical trial protocol to investigate a culturally adapted brief negotiational intervention for alcohol use in the emergency department in Tanzania

BACKGROUND

Alcohol use in resource-limited settings results in significant morbidity and mortality. These settings lack the necessary specialty-trained personnel and infrastructure. Therefore, implementing evidence-based interventions from high-income settings, like a brief negotiational intervention (BNI) for alcohol, will require rapid production of evidence of effectiveness to guide implementation priorities. Thus, this study describes a clinical trial protocol to rapidly optimize and evaluate the impact of a culturally adapted BNI to reduce alcohol-related harms and alcohol consumption among injury patients.

METHODS

Our pragmatic, adaptive, randomized controlled trial (PRACT) is designed to determine the most effective intervention approach to reduce hazardous alcohol use among adult (≥18 years old) in acute (< 24 h) injury patients. Our culturally adapted, nurse-delivered, intervention (PPKAY) has been augmented with evidence-based, culturally appropriate standards and will be evaluated as follows. Stage 1 of the trial will determine if PPKAY, either with a standard short-message-service (SMS) booster or with a personalized SMS booster is more effective than usual care (UC). While optimizing statistical efficiency, Stage 2 drops the UC arm to compare the PPKAY with a standard SMS booster to PPKAY with a personalized SMS booster. Finally, in Stage 3, the more effective arm in Stage 2 is compared to PPKAY without an SMS booster. The study population is acute injury patients who present to Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre, Tanzania, who (1) test alcohol positive by breathalyzer upon arrival; (2) have an Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test of 8 or above; and/or (3) have reported drinking alcohol prior to their injury. Outcome measures will be evaluated for all arms at 3, 6, 9, 12, and 24 months. The primary outcome for the study is the reduction of the number of binge drinking days in the 4 weeks prior to follow-up. Secondary outcomes include alcohol-related consequences, measured by the Drinker Inventory of Consequences.

DISCUSSION

The findings from this study will be critically important to identify alcohol harm reduction strategies where alcohol research and interventions are scarce. Our innovative and adaptive trial design can transform behavior change research and identify the most effective nurse-driven intervention to be targeted for integration into standard care.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04535011 . Registered on September 1, 2020.

Technological Interventions for the Treatment of Substance Use Disorders

Substance use disorders (SUDs) pose a major public health concern. In recent years, technological (i.e., e-health) interventions have emerged and are increasingly offered in a variety of settings, including substance use treatment. E-health interventions encompass a wide variety of advantages depending on the chosen delivery format. This chapter discusses existing interventions and the effectiveness of delivering them as an e-health intervention, with a focus on randomized controlled trials, for the treatment of alcohol, cannabis, opioid, psychostimulant, or poly-substance use, as well as in transdiagnostic interventions. Based on the literature, suggestions for future research and clinical implications are discussed.

Addressing harmful alcohol use in primary care in Colombia: Understanding the sociocultural context

Harmful alcohol use is a public health problem worldwide, contributing to an estimated 5.1% of the global burden of illness. Screening and addressing at-risk drinking in primary care settings is an empirically supported health care intervention strategy to help reduce the burden of alcohol-use problems. In preparation for introducing screening and treatment for at-risk drinking in primary care clinics in Colombia, we conducted interviews with clinicians, clinic administrators, patients, and participants in Alcoholics Anonymous. Interviews were conducted within the framework of the Detección y Atención Integral de Depresión y Abuso de Alcohol en Atención Primaria (DIADA, [Detection and Integrated Care for Depression and Alcohol Use in Primary Care] www.project-diada.org) research project, and its qualitative phase that consisted of the collection of data from 15 focus groups, 6 interviews and field observations in 5 regional settings. All participants provided informed consent to participate in this research. Findings revealed the association of harmful alcohol use with a culture of consumption, within which it is learned and socially accepted practice. Recognition of harmful alcohol consumption includes a social context that influences its screening, diagnosis and prevention. The discussion highlights how, despite the existence of institutional strategies in healthcare settings and the awareness of the importance of at-risk drinking among health personnel, the recognition of the harmful use of alcohol as a pathology should be embedded in an understanding of historical, social and cultural dimensions that may affect different identification and care scenarios.

Práticas de Atenção Primária à Saúde na área de drogas: revisão integrativa

RESUMO O objetivo deste estudo foi o de identificar e analisar as práticas voltadas ao consumo prejudicial de drogas na Atenção Primária à Saúde. Trata-se de Revisão integrativa que buscou estudos nas fontes Medline e Lilacs utilizando os termos ‘Atenção Primária à Saúde’ e ‘Redução do Dano’. Como resultado, incluiram-se 52 estudos, analisados de acordo com os arcabouços teóricos que orientam as práticas em saúde. Tais estudos foram sintetizados em três categorias empíricas: comportamento de risco, que incluiu intervenção breve, programas para prevenir e diminuir o uso de drogas, entre outros; fatores determinantes, que incluiu visitas domiciliares, práticas grupais e organizacionais; e necessidades em saúde, que incluiu práticas educativas emancipatórias. Conclui-se que, majoritariamente, os estudos abordam o uso de drogas pela categoria risco, com proposição de práticas para adaptação social. As intervenções relativas aos determinantes promovem a saúde, propondo melhorias em ambientes de vida e trabalho. Práticas críticas às relações sociais estabelecidas pelo complexo das drogas são minoritárias e envolvem complexidade operacional.

Addressing harmful alcohol use in Primary Care in Colombia: Understanding the sociocultural context

Harmful alcohol use is a public health problem worldwide, contributing to an estimated 5.1% of the global burden of illness. Screening and addressing at-risk drinking in primary care settings is an empirically supported health care intervention strategy to help reduce the burden of alcohol-use problems. In preparation for introducing screening and treatment for at-risk drinking in primary care clinics in Colombia, we conducted interviews with clinicians, clinic administrators, patients, and participants in Alcoholics Anonymous. Interviews were conducted within the framework of the Detección y Atención Integral de Depresión y Abuso de Alcohol en Atención Primaria (DIADA [Detection and Integrated Care for Depression and Alcohol Use in Primary Care] www.project-diada.org) research project, and its qualitative phase that consisted of the collection of data from 15 focus groups, 6 interviews and field observations in 5 regional settings. All participants provided informed consent to participate in this research. Findings revealed the association of harmful alcohol use with a culture of consumption, within which it is learned and socially accepted practice. Recognition of harmful alcohol consumption includes a social context that influences its screening, diagnosis and prevention. The discussion highlights how, despite the existence of institutional strategies in healthcare settings and the awareness of the importance of at-risk drinking among health personnel, the recognition of the harmful use of alcohol as a pathology should be embedded in an understanding of historical, social and cultural dimensions that may affect different identification and care scenarios.

Impact of a new specialist alcohol and drug brief intervention service model integrated into the emergency department: An interrupted time series analysis

OBJECTIVE

To describe and examine the impact of a new specialist drug and alcohol brief intervention team (DABIT) model integrated into the ED on the identification of individuals at risk of future alcohol and other drug (AOD)-related harm. A cost-outcome analysis was conducted to assess the impact on costs per referral.

METHODS

An interrupted time series analysis examined the changes in number of referrals following the implementation of the DABIT model over 2 years (January 2015-December 2016) within a large 436-bed public hospital. The primary outcome of interest was the number of AOD-related referrals per month identified following ED presentations. The independent variables were: time (measured in months), implementation periods (pre-implementation; a transition period of adjustment during which the new DABIT model of care was developed; post-implementation period with a fully operational DABIT model); and the number of full-time equivalent staff per month to account for the increase in labour productivity. In a second time series analysis, the outcome was cost per referral per month.

RESULTS

After controlling for changes in labour productivity, the number of referrals was significantly higher following the implementation of the DABIT model when compared to those during the pre-implementation and transition periods. Costs were significantly lower following DABIT implementation resulting in $1096 net cost savings per referral.

CONCLUSIONS

Integration of a specialist brief intervention AOD model to support ED care may increase uptake of specialist AOD treatment and could be beneficial from an economic efficiency viewpoint.

Implementation of a screening, brief intervention and referral to treatment programme for risky substance use in South African emergency centres: A mixed methods evaluation study

BACKGROUND

Screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment (SBIRT) for risky substance use is infrequently included in routine healthcare in low-resourced settings. A SBIRT programme, adopted by the Western Cape provincial government within an alcohol harm reduction strategy, employed various implementation strategies executed by a diverse team to translate an evidence-based intervention into services at three demonstration sites before broader programme scale-up. This paper evaluates the implementation of this programme delivered by facility-based counsellors in South African emergency centres.

METHOD

Guided by the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research, this mixed methods study evaluated the feasibility, acceptability, appropriateness and adoption of this task-shared SBIRT programme. Quantitative data were extracted from routinely collected health information. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 40 stakeholders in the programme's second year.

RESULTS

In the first year, 13 136 patients were screened and 4 847 (37%) patients met criteria for risky substance use. Of these patients, 83% received the intervention, indicating programme feasibility. The programme was adopted into routine services and found to be acceptable and appropriate, particularly by stakeholders familiar with the emergency environment. These stakeholders highlighted the burden of substance-related harm in emergency centres and favourable patient responses to SBIRT. However, some stakeholders expressed scepticism of the behaviour change approach and programme compatibility with emergency centre operations. Furthermore, adoption was both facilitated and hampered by a top-down directive from provincial leadership to implement SBIRT, while rapid implementation limited effective engagement with a diverse stakeholder group.

CONCLUSION

This is one of the first studies to address SBIRT implementation in low-resourced settings. The results show that SBIRT implementation and adoption was largely successful, and provide valuable insights that should be considered prior to implementation scale-up. Recommendations include ensuring ongoing monitoring and evaluation, and early stakeholder engagement to improve implementation readiness and programme compatibility in the emergency setting.

Alcohol care teams: where are we now?

Alcohol consumption affects the risks of approximately 230 three-digit disease and injury codes in the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems-10th Revision. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals comprise 17 challenging goals with 169 targets, which the 193 Member States aim to achieve by 2030. Action to reduce the harmful use of alcohol, especially addressing global health inequalities, will contribute to achieving many of the health-related goals and targets. Alcohol care teams, mainly developed in acute UK hospitals, reduce acute hospital admissions, readmissions and mortality, improve the quality and efficiency of alcohol care, and have 11 key evidence-based, cost-effective and aspirational components. A clinician-led, multidisciplinary team, with integrated alcohol treatment pathways across primary, secondary and community care, coordinated alcohol policies for emergency departments and acute medical units, a 7-day alcohol specialist nurse service, addiction and liaison psychiatry services, an alcohol assertive outreach team, and consultant hepatologists and gastroenterologists with liver disease expertise facilitate collaborative, multidisciplinary, person-centred care. Quality metrics, national indicators, audit, workforce planning, training and accreditation support research and education of the public and healthcare professionals. Hospitals should collaborate with local authorities, public health, clinical commissioning groups, patients and key stakeholders to develop and disseminate cost-effective prevention and treatment strategies. Globally, alcohol care teams can support the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, and should be advocated and implemented through the WHO global alcohol strategy. This requires collaborative care planning by key stakeholders, a skilled workforce, targeted financial resources and dedicated political commitment.

Treating alcohol-related liver disease from a public health perspective

Herein, we describe the evolving landscape of alcohol-related liver disease (ALD) including the current global burden of disease and cost to working-aged people in terms of death and disability, in addition to the larger spectrum of alcohol-related heath complications and its wider impact on society. We further review the most effective and cost-effective public health policies at both a population and individual level. Currently, abstinence is the only effective treatment for ALD, and yet because the majority of ALD remains undetected in the community abstinence is initiated too late to prevent premature death in the majority of cases. We therefore hope that this review will help inform clinicians of the "public health treatment options" for ALD to encourage engagement with policy makers and promote community-based hepatology as a speciality, expanding our patient cohort to allow early detection, and thereby a reduction in the enormous morbidity and mortality associated with this disease.

Elucidating the Effect of a Brief Drinking Intervention Using Neuroimaging: A Preliminary Study

BACKGROUND

Brief interventions have empirical support for acutely reducing alcohol use among non-treatment-seeking heavy drinkers. Neuroimaging techniques allow for the examination of the neurobiological effect of behavioral interventions, probing brain systems putatively involved in clinical response to treatment. Few studies have prospectively evaluated whether psychosocial interventions attenuate neural cue reactivity that in turn reduces drinking in the same population. This study aimed to examine the effect of a brief intervention on drinking outcomes, neural alcohol cue reactivity, and the ability of neural alcohol cue reactivity to prospectively predict drinking outcomes.

METHODS

Non-treatment-seeking heavy drinking participants were randomized to receive a brief interview intervention (n = 22) or an attention-matched control (n = 24). Immediately following the intervention or control, participants underwent a functional magnetic resonance imaging scan comprised of the alcohol taste cues paradigm. Four weeks after the intervention (or control), participants completed a follow-up visit to report on their past-month drinking. Baseline and follow-up percent heavy drinking days (PHDD) were calculated for each participant.

RESULTS

There was no significant effect of the brief intervention on PHDD at follow-up or on modulating neural activation to alcohol relative to water taste cues. There was a significant association between neural response to alcohol taste cues and PHDD across groups (Z > 2.3, p < 0.05), such that individuals who had greater neural reactivity to alcohol taste cues in the precuneus and prefrontal cortex (PFC) had fewer PHDD at follow-up.

CONCLUSIONS

This study did not find an effect of the brief intervention on alcohol use in this sample, and the intervention was not associated with differential neural alcohol cue reactivity. Nevertheless, greater activation of the precuneus and PFC during alcohol cue exposure predicted less alcohol use prospectively suggesting that these neural substrates subserve the effects of alcohol cues on drinking behavior.

Effectiveness and treatment moderators of internet interventions for adult problem drinking: An individual patient data meta-analysis of 19 randomised controlled trials

BACKGROUND

Face-to-face brief interventions for problem drinking are effective, but they have found limited implementation in routine care and the community. Internet-based interventions could overcome this treatment gap. We investigated effectiveness and moderators of treatment outcomes in internet-based interventions for adult problem drinking (iAIs).

METHODS AND FINDINGS

Systematic searches were performed in medical and psychological databases to 31 December 2016. A one-stage individual patient data meta-analysis (IPDMA) was conducted with a linear mixed model complete-case approach, using baseline and first follow-up data. The primary outcome measure was mean weekly alcohol consumption in standard units (SUs, 10 grams of ethanol). Secondary outcome was treatment response (TR), defined as less than 14/21 SUs for women/men weekly. Putative participant, intervention, and study moderators were included. Robustness was verified in three sensitivity analyses: a two-stage IPDMA, a one-stage IPDMA using multiple imputation, and a missing-not-at-random (MNAR) analysis. We obtained baseline data for 14,198 adult participants (19 randomised controlled trials [RCTs], mean age 40.7 [SD = 13.2], 47.6% women). Their baseline mean weekly alcohol consumption was 38.1 SUs (SD = 26.9). Most were regular problem drinkers (80.1%, SUs 44.7, SD = 26.4) and 19.9% (SUs 11.9, SD = 4.1) were binge-only drinkers. About one third were heavy drinkers, meaning that women/men consumed, respectively, more than 35/50 SUs of alcohol at baseline (34.2%, SUs 65.9, SD = 27.1). Post-intervention data were available for 8,095 participants. Compared with controls, iAI participants showed a greater mean weekly decrease at follow-up of 5.02 SUs (95% CI -7.57 to -2.48, p < 0.001) and a higher rate of TR (odds ratio [OR] 2.20, 95% CI 1.63-2.95, p < 0.001, number needed to treat [NNT] = 4.15, 95% CI 3.06-6.62). Persons above age 55 showed higher TR than their younger counterparts (OR = 1.66, 95% CI 1.21-2.27, p = 0.002). Drinking profiles were not significantly associated with treatment outcomes. Human-supported interventions were superior to fully automated ones on both outcome measures (comparative reduction: -6.78 SUs, 95% CI -12.11 to -1.45, p = 0.013; TR: OR = 2.23, 95% CI 1.22-4.08, p = 0.009). Participants treated in iAIs based on personalised normative feedback (PNF) alone were significantly less likely to sustain low-risk drinking at follow-up than those in iAIs based on integrated therapeutic principles (OR = 0.52, 95% CI 0.29-0.93, p = 0.029). The use of waitlist control in RCTs was associated with significantly better treatment outcomes than the use of other types of control (comparative reduction: -9.27 SUs, 95% CI -13.97 to -4.57, p < 0.001; TR: OR = 3.74, 95% CI 2.13-6.53, p < 0.001). The overall quality of the RCTs was high; a major limitation included high study dropout (43%). Sensitivity analyses confirmed the robustness of our primary analyses.

CONCLUSION

To our knowledge, this is the first IPDMA on internet-based interventions that has shown them to be effective in curbing various patterns of adult problem drinking in both community and healthcare settings. Waitlist control may be conducive to inflation of treatment outcomes.

Association between alcoholic interventions and abstinence rates for alcohol use disorders: A meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE

The aim of present study is to quantitatively evaluate the association between different interventions and abstinence rates based on network meta-analysis.

METHOD

Following PRISMA guidelines, randomized clinical trials that compared different alcoholic interventions for alcohol use disorders associated with abstinence rates in treatment sessions or/and follow-up sessions were recruited. Main data synthesis was performed by Bayesian random-effects network meta-analyses, and the relative ranking of interventions was estimated by cumulative probability P values (SUCRA). Funnel plot symmetry was used to detect publication bias. Moreover, pair-wised comparison was also conducted to determine the statistical difference and forest plots were generated to calculate the differences between the groups. The Grades of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) criteria were utilized for the recommendations of evidence from pairwise direct comparisons.

RESULTS

A total of 137 RCTs containing 27,282 participants and 8 variations of psychotherapy, pharmacotherapy, contingency management, and brief intervention used as treatment interventions were included. In summary, contingency management plus psychotherapy was demonstrated to be effective and possessed the best rank of achieving the highest abstinence rate in treatment sessions (SUCRA, 0.61). Pharmacotherapy plus psychotherapy also revealed its efficacy and was associated with the highest abstinence rate in follow-up sessions (SUCRA, 0.40). More importantly, psychotherapy alone was demonstrated not to be associated with higher abstinence rates in both treatment (OR, 1.052; 95% CI, 0.907-1.220) and follow-up sessions (OR, 0.967; 95% CI, 0.552-1.693), yet pharmacotherapy seemed to be the only intervention associated with higher abstinence rates compared to controls in both sessions (treatment session: OR, 1.074; 95% CI, 1.002-1.152) (follow-up session: OR, 1.442; 95% CI, 1.094-1.900).

CONCLUSIONS

Contingency management plus psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy plus psychotherapy were demonstrated to be associated with the highest abstinence rates in treatment sessions and follow-up sessions, respectively. However, contingency management and pharmacotherapy seemed to be the substantial crucial factors allowing for the maintenance of the highest abstinence rates in respective sessions, although we need more evidence for further validation.

Burden of liver disease in Europe: Epidemiology and analysis of risk factors to identify prevention policies

The burden of liver disease in Europe continues to grow. We aimed to describe the epidemiology of liver diseases and their risk factors in European countries, identifying public health interventions that could impact on these risk factors to reduce the burden of liver disease. As part of the HEPAHEALTH project we extracted information on historical and current prevalence and mortality from national and international literature and databases on liver disease in 35 countries in the World Health Organization European region, as well as historical and recent prevalence data on their main determinants; alcohol consumption, obesity and hepatitis B and C virus infections. We extracted information from peer-reviewed and grey literature to identify public health interventions targeting these risk factors. The epidemiology of liver disease is diverse, with variations in the exact composition of diseases and the trends in risk factors which drive them. Prevalence and mortality data indicate that increasing cirrhosis and liver cancer may be linked to dramatic increases in harmful alcohol consumption in Northern European countries, and viral hepatitis epidemics in Eastern and Southern European countries. Countries with historically low levels of liver disease may experience an increase in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in the future, given the rise of obesity across most European countries. Liver disease in Europe is a serious issue, with increasing cirrhosis and liver cancer. The public health and hepatology communities are uniquely placed to implement measures aimed at reducing their causes: harmful alcohol consumption, child and adult obesity, and chronic infection with hepatitis viruses, which will in turn reduce the burden of liver disease.

Predictors of positive drinking outcomes among youth receiving an alcohol brief intervention in the emergency department

BACKGROUND

Reducing underage drinking is a public health priority given increased risk for injury and other consequences. Emergency department (ED) visits offer a potential "teachable moment" to initiate interventions among youth engaged in risky drinking. Given mixed findings for alcohol brief interventions (BIs), this paper examined baseline markers of BI response in order to inform future interventions.

METHOD

We conducted secondary analyses of data from a randomized controlled trial of an alcohol BI delivered to youth in an ED. Among 475 participants (Mage = 18.6, SD = 1.4; 48.7% Female, 78.6% White/Caucasian) receiving a computer or therapist BI, we examined baseline characteristics (i.e., demographic, substance use, mood, risk/protective factors, and readiness to change) that predicted positive intervention response (i.e., BI responder) at 3-month follow-up using AUDIT-C scores (cut offs: <3 for ages 14-17; <4 for ages 18-20).

RESULTS

Mediated logistic regression analysis (controlling for demographics) showed that greater readiness to change at baseline was positively related to BI response and baseline alcohol consumption was negatively related to BI response. Having a mentor was indirectly related to BI response via baseline alcohol consumption. Baseline readiness to change and alcohol consumption mediated the association between positive peer influences and BI response, whereas readiness to change mediated the relation between depression and BI response.

CONCLUSION

Findings suggest that BI response is influenced by protective social factors, such as positive peers and mentors, and depression, via baseline alcohol severity indicators (i.e., readiness to change, consumption), thus providing clues for enhancing the content and dose of early interventions.

DIAMOND (DIgital Alcohol Management ON Demand): a feasibility RCT and embedded process evaluation of a digital health intervention to reduce hazardous and harmful alcohol use recruiting in hospital emergency departments and online

BACKGROUND

The harmful use of alcohol is a causal factor in more than 200 disease and injury conditions and leads to over 3 million deaths every year worldwide. Relatively few problem alcohol users access treatment due to stigma and lack of services. Alcohol-specific digital health interventions (DHI) may help them, but trial data comparing DHI with face-to-face treatment are lacking.

METHODS

We conducted a feasibility RCT of an alcohol DHI, testing recruitment, online data-collection and randomisation processes, with an embedded process evaluation. Recruitment ran from October 2015 for 12 months. Participants were adults, drinking at hazardous and harmful levels, recruited from hospital emergency departments (ED) in London or recruited online. Participants were randomised to HeLP-Alcohol, a six module DHI with weekly reminder prompts (phone, email or text message), or to face-to-face treatment as usual (TAU). Participants were invited to take part in qualitative interviews after the trial.

RESULTS

The trial website was accessed 1074 times: 420 people completed online eligibility questionnaires; 350 did not meet eligibility criteria, 51 declined to participate, and 19 were recruited and randomised. Follow-up data were collected from three participants (retention 3/19), and four agreed to be interviewed for the process evaluation. The main themes of the interviews were:Participants were not at equipoise. They wanted to try the website and were disappointed to be randomised to face-to-face, so they were less engaged and dropped out.Other reasons for drop out included not accepting that they had a drink problem; problem drinking interfering with their ability to take part in a trial or forgetting appointments; having a busy life and being randomised to TAU made it difficult to attend appointments.

CONCLUSIONS

This feasibility RCT aimed to test recruitment, randomisation, retention, and data collection methods, but recruited only 19 participants. This illustrates the importance of undertaking feasibility studies prior to fully powered RCTs. From the qualitative interviews we found that potential recruits were not at equipoise for recruitment. An alternative methodology, for example a preference RCT recruiting from multiple locations, needs to be explored in future trials.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

International Standard Randomized Controlled Trial Number: ISRCTN31789096.

Brief Interventions in Primary Care: an Evidence Overview of Practitioner and Digital Intervention Programmes

PURPOSE OF THE REVIEW

Excessive drinking is a major public health problem that adversely affects all parts of the population. Previous systematic reviews and meta-analyses have reported that brief interventions delivered in primary care are effective at reducing alcohol consumption, albeit with small effect sizes that have decreased over time. This review summarises the updated evidence base on practitioner and digitally delivered brief interventions.

RECENT FINDINGS

Using Cochrane methodology, 69 primary care brief intervention trials (33,642 participants) and 57 digital intervention trials (34,390 participants) were identified. Meta-analyses showed both approaches significantly reduced consumption compared to controls. Five trials (390 participants) compared practitioner-delivered and digital interventions directly with no evidence of difference in outcomes at follow-up.

SUMMARY

Brief interventions have the potential to impact at both individual and population levels. Future research should focus on optimising components and delivery mechanisms, and on alcohol-related harms. Digital interventions may overcome some of the implementation barriers faced by practitioner-delivered interventions.

DIAMOND (DIgital Alcohol Management ON Demand): a mixed methods feasibility RCT and embedded process evaluation of a digital health intervention to reduce hazardous and harmful alcohol use

Background

Alcohol is a major risk factor for preventable illness, with huge cost to healthcare economies. There is a role for alcohol-specific digital health interventions (DHI), but there have been few randomised controlled trials (RCT) comparing DHI with face-to-face treatment. Such trials are complex and face obstacles in recruitment and retention.

Methods

Mixed-methods feasibility RCT of an alcohol DHI, testing recruitment, online data-collection and randomisation processes, with an embedded process evaluation. Recruitment ran from October 2014 for 9 months. Participants were adults drinking at hazardous and harmful levels, attending four community drug and alcohol services (CDAS) in London. Participants completed baseline demographic, alcohol-related and other psychological questionnaires online and were randomised to HeLP-Alcohol, a six-module DHI with weekly reminder prompts (phone, email or text message), which mirrors face-to-face treatment, or to face-to-face treatment at CDAS. Alcohol counsellors took part in qualitative interviews at the end of the study.

Results

Alcohol counsellors screened 1253 patients. One thousand one hundred eighty-nine did not meet inclusion criteria so were excluded: 579 were dependent drinkers, 548 had health conditions that made them ineligible to take part and 62 were ineligible for other reasons including homelessness. Of the 64 patients who were eligible to take part, 54 declined to participate, with 36 stating a preference for face-to-face treatment, 13 gave no reason, and 5 gave other reasons including not wanting to use a computer. Ten consented but then 3 changed their minds, so we were able to randomise 7 participants to the study (11% of eligible).

Five alcohol counsellors agreed to be interviewed for the process evaluation and provided the following feedback: Although most of their colleagues were enthusiastic about the trial, some were not at equipoise in recruiting; potential participants also declared strong preference to intervention arm from the outset. These factors affected recruitment. Counsellors also lacked time to undertake the data inputting and follow-up of participants in addition to their everyday work.

Conclusions

This feasibility study aimed to test recruitment, randomisation, retention and data collection methods but recruited only 7 participants so these aims were not fully achieved. This illustrates to all researchers of complex interventions the importance of conducting feasibility studies and is generalisable to areas other than alcohol research.

CDAS were seeing larger numbers of non-dependent drinkers with complex additional problems than alcohol commissioners expected. CDAS clients and some counsellors were not at equipoise for recruitment. Alternative settings for recruitment need to be explored in future trials.

Trial registration

International Standard Randomized Controlled Trial Number: ISRCTN31789096, DOI 10.1186/ISRCTN31789096

A rapid evidence review of the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of alcohol control policies: an English perspective

This paper reviews the evidence for the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of policies to reduce alcohol-related harm. Policies focus on price, marketing, availability, information and education, the drinking environment, drink-driving, and brief interventions and treatment. Although there is variability in research design and measured outcomes, evidence supports the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of policies that address affordability and marketing. An adequate reduction in temporal availability, particularly late night on-sale availability, is effective and cost-effective. Individually-directed interventions delivered to at-risk drinkers and enforced legislative measures are also effective. Providing information and education increases awareness, but is not sufficient to produce long-lasting changes in behaviour. At best, interventions enacted in and around the drinking environment lead to small reductions in acute alcohol-related harm. Overall, there is a rich evidence base to support the decisions of policy makers in implementing the most effective and cost-effective policies to reduce alcohol-related harm.

How effective are brief interventions in reducing alcohol consumption: do the setting, practitioner group and content matter? Findings from a systematic review and metaregression analysis

BACKGROUND

While the efficacy and effectiveness of brief interventions for alcohol (ABI) have been demonstrated in primary care, there is weaker evidence in other settings and reviews do not consider differences in content. We conducted a systematic review to measure the effect of ABIs on alcohol consumption and how it differs by the setting, practitioner group and content of intervention.

METHODS

We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO; CINAHL, Social Science Citation Index, Cochrane Library and Global Health up to January 2015 for randomised controlled trials that measured effectiveness of ABIs on alcohol consumption. We grouped outcomes into measures of quantity and frequency indices. We used multilevel meta-analysis to estimate pooled effect sizes and tested for the effect of moderators through a multiparameter Wald test. Stratified analysis of a subset of quantity and frequency outcomes was conducted as a sensitivity check.

RESULTS

52 trials were included contributing data on 29 891 individuals. ABIs reduced the quantity of alcohol consumed by 0.15 SDs. While neither the setting nor content appeared to significantly moderate intervention effectiveness, the provider did in some analyses. Interventions delivered by nurses had the most effect in reducing quantity (d=-0.23, 95% CI (-0.33 to -0.13)) but not frequency of alcohol consumption. All content groups had statistically significant mean effects, brief advice was the most effective in reducing quantity consumed (d=-0.20, 95% CI (-0.30 to -0.09)). Effects were maintained in the stratified sensitivity analysis at the first and last assessment time.

CONCLUSIONS

ABIs play a small but significant role in reducing alcohol consumption. Findings show the positive role of nurses in delivering interventions. The lack of evidence on the impact of content of intervention reinforces advice that services should select the ABI tool that best suits their needs.

Triggers for Violent Criminality in Patients With Psychotic Disorders

IMPORTANCE

Absolute and relative risks of violence are increased in patients with psychotic disorders, but the contribution of triggers for violent acts to these risks is uncertain.

OBJECTIVE

To examine whether a range of triggers for violent acts are associated with risks of violence in patients diagnosed with psychotic disorders and in individuals without a psychiatric diagnosis.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS

Using a sample of all individuals born in Sweden between 1958 and 1988 (N = 3 123 724), we identified patients in the National Patient Register who were diagnosed with schizophrenia spectrum disorders (n = 34 903) and bipolar disorder (n = 29 692), as well as unaffected controls (n = 2 763 012). We then identified, within each subsample, persons who had experienced any of the following triggers for violent acts between January 1, 2001, and December 15, 2013: exposure to violence, parental bereavement, self-harm, traumatic brain injury, unintentional injuries, and substance intoxication. By using within-individual models, we conducted conditional logistic regression to compare the risk of the individual engaging in violent acts in the week following the exposure to a trigger with the risk during earlier periods of equivalent length. All time-invariant confounders (eg, genetic and early environmental influences) were controlled for by this research design and we further adjusted for time-varying sociodemographic factors.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES

Adjusted odds ratios (aORs) of violent crime occurring in the week following the exposure to a trigger event compared with earlier periods.

RESULTS

Among the sample of 2 827 607 individuals (1 492 186 male and 1 335 421 female), all of the examined trigger events were associated with increased risk of violent crime in the week following exposure. The largest 1-week absolute risk of violent crime was observed following exposure to violence (70-177 violent crimes per 10 000 persons). For most triggers, the relative risks did not vary significantly by diagnosis, including unintentional injuries (aOR range, 3.5-4.8), self-harm (aOR range, 3.9-4.2), and substance intoxication (aOR range, 3.0-4.0). Differences by diagnosis included parental bereavement, which was significantly higher in patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders (aOR, 5.0; 95% CI, 3.0-8.1) compared with controls (aOR, 1.7; 95% CI, 1.3-2.2).

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

In addition to identifying risk factors for violence, clarifying the timing of the triggers may provide opportunities to improve risk assessment and management in individuals with psychotic disorders.

Review article: Effectiveness of ultra-brief interventions in the emergency department to reduce alcohol consumption: A systematic review

To assess the effectiveness of ultra-brief interventions (ultra-BI) or technology-involved preventive measures in the ED to reduce alcohol harm and risky drinking. Medline, Embase, PsycINFO, CINAHL and EBM reviews were searched for articles published between 1996 and 2015. Randomised controlled trials and quasi-randomised trials, which compared an ultra-BI with screening, standard care or minimal intervention for adults and adolescents at risk for alcohol-related harm presenting to an ED, were included. Outcomes of interest were frequency of alcohol consumption, quantity of alcohol consumed, binge drinking and ED representation. Thirteen studies (nine single centre and four multicentre) were included. Six studies showed a significant reduction in the quantity consumed with intermediate effect size at 3 months (d = -0.40) and small effect size at 12 months (d = -0.15). Two studies showed a significant reduction in binge drinking with small effect size at 3 months (d = -0.12) and 12 months (d = -0.09). No studies showed an effect on frequency of alcohol consumption or ED representation. Heterogeneity in study design, definition of risky, harmful or hazardous alcohol use, intervention types, outcomes, outcome timeframes and outcome measures prevented the performance of quantitative meta-analysis. Despite its limited effectiveness in reducing alcohol use in the short-term, with the large number of people attending EDs with risky drinking, the use of an effective ultra-BI would have the potential to have a measurable population effect.