Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2008 Jun;51(6):742-750.e2.
doi: 10.1016/j.annemergmed.2007.11.028. Epub 2008 Apr 23.

Brief intervention for hazardous and harmful drinkers in the emergency department

Gail D'Onofrio  1 , Michael V Pantalon, Linda C Degutis, David A Fiellin, Susan H Busch, Marek C Chawarski, Patricia H Owens, Patrick G O'Connor
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Brief intervention for hazardous and harmful drinkers in the emergency department

Gail D'Onofrio et al. Ann Emerg Med. 2008 Jun.

Abstract

Study objective: To determine the efficacy of emergency practitioner-performed brief intervention for hazardous/harmful drinkers in reducing alcohol consumption and negative consequences in an emergency department (ED) setting.

Methods: A randomized clinical trial (Project ED Health) was conducted in an urban ED from May 2002 to November 2003 for hazardous/harmful drinkers. Patients 18 years or older who screened above National Institute for Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism guidelines for "low-risk" drinking or presented with an injury in the setting of alcohol ingestion were eligible. The mean number of drinks per week and binge-drinking episodes during the past 30 days were collected at 6 and 12 months; negative consequences and use of treatment services, at 12 months. A Brief Negotiation Interview performed by emergency practitioners was compared to scripted Discharge Instructions.

Results: A total of 494 hazardous/harmful drinkers were studied. The 2 groups were similar with respect to baseline characteristics. In the Brief Negotiation Interview group, the mean number of drinks per week at 12 months was 3.8 less than the 13.6 reported at baseline. The Discharge Instructions group decreased 2.6 from 12.4 at baseline. Likewise, binge-drinking episodes per month decreased by 2.0 from a baseline of 6.0 in the Brief Negotiation Interview group and 1.5 from 5.4 in the Discharge Instructions group. For each outcome, the time effect was significant and the treatment effect was not.

Conclusion: Among ED patients with hazardous/harmful drinking, we did not detect a difference in efficacy between emergency practitioner-performed Brief Negotiation Interview and Discharge Instructions. Further studies to test the efficacy of brief intervention in the ED are needed.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Flow Diagram
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Comment in

References

    1. McDonald AJ, Wang N, Camargo CA. US emergency department visits for alcohol-related diseases and injuries between 1992 and 2000. Arch Intern Med. 2004;164:531–537. - PubMed
    1. Brewer RD, Morris PD, Cole TB, Watkins S, Patetta MJ, Popkin C. The risk of dying in alcohol-related automobile crashes among habitual drunk drivers. N Engl J Med. 1994;331:513–517. - PubMed
    1. Smith SM, Goodman RA, Thacker SB, Burton AH, Parsons JE, Hudon P. Alcohol and fatal injuries; temporal patterns. Am J Prev Med. 1989;52:296–302. - PubMed
    1. O’Connor PG, Schottenfeld RS. Patients with alcohol problems. N Engl J Med. 1998;338:592–602. - PubMed
    1. Rockett IR, Putnam S, Jia H, Smith G. Assessing substance abuse treatment need: A statewide hospital emergency department study. Annals of Emergency Medicine. 2003;41:802–813. - PubMed

Publication types