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Karriker-Jaffe KJ, Blackburn N, Graham K, Walker MJ, Room R, Wilson IM, Waleewong O, Gilchrist G, Ramsoomar L, Laslett AM. Can alcohol policy prevent harms to women and children from men's alcohol consumption? An overview of existing literature and suggested ways forward. THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF DRUG POLICY 2023; 119:104148. [PMID: 37540918 PMCID: PMC10734562 DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2023.104148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2023] [Revised: 07/17/2023] [Accepted: 07/23/2023] [Indexed: 08/06/2023]
Abstract
The World Health Organization's list of cost-effective alcohol control policies is a widely-used resource that highlights strategies to address alcohol-related harms. However, there is more evidence on how recommended policies impact harms to people who drink alcohol-such as physical health problems caused by heavy alcohol use-than on secondhand harms inflicted on someone other than the person drinking alcohol, i.e., alcohol's harms to others. In this essay, we describe evidence of impacts of alcohol policy on harms to women and children resulting from men's alcohol consumption, as well as options for making policies more relevant for reducing intimate partner violence and child abuse. We begin with an overview of harms to women and children resulting from men's alcohol consumption and review cost-effective alcohol policies with potential to reduce these harms based on likely mechanisms of action. Next, we present a rapid review of reviews to describe existing evidence of impacts of these policies on the outcomes of physical violence, sexual violence, and child abuse and neglect. We found little evidence of systematic evaluation of impacts of these important alcohol policies on harms to women and children. Thus, we advocate for increased attention in evaluation research to the impacts of alcohol policies on harms experienced by women and children who are exposed to men who drink alcohol. We also argue for more consideration of a broader range of policies and interventions to reduce these specific types of harm. Finally, we present a conceptual model illustrating how alcohol policies may be supplemented with other interventions specifically tailored to reduce alcohol-related harms commonly experienced by women and children as a result of men's alcohol use.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Natalie Blackburn
- Center for Health Behavior & Implementation Science, RTI International, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Kathryn Graham
- Institute for Mental Health Policy Research, Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction & Mental Health, London/Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Mary Jean Walker
- Department of Politics, Media, & Philosophy, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Robin Room
- Centre for Alcohol Policy Research, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia; Centre for Social Research on Alcohol & Drugs, Department of Public Health Sciences, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Ingrid M Wilson
- Health & Social Sciences, Singapore Institute of Technology, Singapore; Judith Lumley Centre, La Trobe University, Australia
| | - Orratai Waleewong
- International Health Policy Program, Ministry of Public Health, Thailand
| | - Gail Gilchrist
- National Addiction Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Leane Ramsoomar
- Gender & Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Pretoria, South Africa; School of Public Health, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa; School of Public Health & Health Systems, University of the Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa
| | - Anne-Marie Laslett
- Centre for Alcohol Policy Research, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia; Melbourne School of Population & Global Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
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Chhabra S, Cameron A, Thavorn K, Sikora L, Yadav K. Quality of health economic evaluations in emergency medicine journals: a systematic review. CAN J EMERG MED 2023; 25:676-688. [PMID: 37389770 DOI: 10.1007/s43678-023-00535-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2022] [Accepted: 05/28/2023] [Indexed: 07/01/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Health economic evaluations are used in decision-making regarding resource allocation and it is imperative that they are completed with rigor. The primary objectives were to describe the characteristics and assess the quality of economic evaluations published in emergency medicine journals. METHODS Two reviewers independently searched 19 emergency medicine-specific journals via Medline and Embase from inception until March 3, 2022. Quality assessment was completed using the Quality of Health Economic Studies (QHES) tool, and the primary outcome was the QHES score out of 100. Additionally, we identified factors that may contribute to higher-quality publications. RESULTS 7260 unique articles yielded 48 economic evaluations that met inclusion criteria. Most studies were cost-utility analyses and of high quality, with a median QHES score of 84 (interquartile range, IQR: 72, 90). Studies based on mathematical models and those primarily designed as an economic evaluation were associated with higher quality scores. The most commonly missed QHES items were: (i) providing and justifying the perspective of the analysis, (ii) providing justification for the primary outcome, and (iii) selecting an outcome that was long enough to allow for relevant events to occur. CONCLUSIONS The majority of health economic evaluations in the emergency medicine literature are cost-utility analyses and are of high quality. Decision analytic models and studies primarily designed as economic analyses were positively correlated with higher quality. To improve study quality, future EM economic evaluations should justify the choice of the perspective of the analysis and the selection of the primary outcome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shawn Chhabra
- Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
| | - Austin Cameron
- Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- Division of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine, IWK Health Centre, Halifax, NS, Canada
| | - Kednapa Thavorn
- School of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- Clinical Epidemiology Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Lindsey Sikora
- Health Sciences Library, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Krishan Yadav
- Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- Clinical Epidemiology Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
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Kim KT, Kwon DH, Jeon JC, Kim IC, Park JA, Seo JG. A multicenter study of altered level of consciousness in the emergency room. Intern Emerg Med 2022; 17:2329-2337. [PMID: 36131181 DOI: 10.1007/s11739-022-03104-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2022] [Accepted: 09/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
New-onset altered level of consciousness (ALC) is a challenge in real-world clinical practice. Although its presentation is nonspecific and its etiology is intricate, the term ALC is frequently used in the emergency room (ER). This study aimed to clarify and classify the etiologies and outcomes of the ALC in the ER. We retrospectively investigated ALC patients in the ER of four tertiary referral centers from February 2018 to January 2020. The etiology of ALC was comprehensively analyzed by a consortium of university professors, board-certified clinicians in neurology, emergency medicine, or internal medicine. The time point to determine the etiology of ALC was at the time of discharge from the ER. A total of 315,526 patients who visited ER due to ALC were reviewed and found 7988 eligible patients, of which 4298 (53.8%) were male and 5282 (66.1%) were older than 60. The overall mortality was 13.5%. Except undetermined, the 9 etiologies (n = 7552) were categorized into extra- (n = 4768, 63.1%) or intracranial etiology (n = 2784, 36.9%). The most common etiology of ALC in the ER was metabolic cause (n = 1972, 24.7%), followed by systemic infection (n = 1378, 17.3%). The majority of ALC in the ER was derived from extracranial etiology. ALC in the ER is a neurological manifestation of diverse etiologies; not all can be confirmed in the ER. Not only neurological but also critical systemic illnesses should be considered to assess the protean manifestations of ALC in the ER.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keun Tae Kim
- Department of Neurology, Keimyung University School of Medicine, Daegu, South Korea
| | - Doo Hyuk Kwon
- Department of Neurology, Yeungnam University College of Medicine, Daegu, South Korea
| | - Jae Cheon Jeon
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Keimyung University School of Medicine, Daegu, South Korea
| | - In-Cheol Kim
- Department of Internal Medicine, Keimyung University School of Medicine, Daegu, South Korea
| | - Jung A Park
- Department of Neurology, Daegu Catholic University School of Medicine, Daegu, South Korea
| | - Jong-Geun Seo
- Department of Neurology, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, South Korea.
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