Journal of studies on alcohol and drugs
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J Stud Alcohol Drugs · Sep 2010
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative StudyEvaluation of an electronic clinical reminder to facilitate brief alcohol-counseling interventions in primary care.
Brief intervention for patients with unhealthy alcohol use is a prevention priority in the United States, but most eligible patients do not receive it. This study evaluated an electronic alcohol-counseling clinical reminder at a single Veterans Affairs general medicine clinic. ⋯ Availability of a clinical reminder to facilitate brief intervention did not, alone, result in substantial use of the clinical reminder. More active implementation efforts may be needed to get brief interventions onto the agenda of busy primary care providers.
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J Stud Alcohol Drugs · Sep 2010
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative StudyIntervention attendance among emergency department patients with alcohol- and drug-use disorders.
The emergency department (ED) visit provides a window of opportunity for screening and linkage to services for inner-city adults with substance-use disorders (SUDs). This article examines predictors of intervention attendance among ED patients who screen positive for an SUD (alcohol or other drug). ⋯ The present findings highlight the relative importance of assessing and attending to readiness to change as well as demographic factors such as insurance and employment (and potentially associated barriers) in ED-based screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment protocols.
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J Stud Alcohol Drugs · Jan 2010
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Comparative StudyBrief physician advice for heavy drinking college students: a randomized controlled trial in college health clinics.
The aim of this study was to test the efficacy of brief physician advice in reducing alcohol use and related harm in college students. ⋯ The study supports resource allocation and implementation of alcohol screening and brief physician advice in primary care-based college health clinics.
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J Stud Alcohol Drugs · Nov 2009
Randomized Controlled TrialScreening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment (SBIRT) in a Polish emergency department: three-month outcomes of a randomized, controlled clinical trial.
A randomized, controlled trial of screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment (SBIRT) for drinking and related problems among at-risk and dependent drinkers was conducted in an emergency department (ED) in Sosnowiec, Poland, among patients ages 18 years and older. ⋯ Although the main findings were similar to those from other brief-intervention studies in Western cultures, findings here also suggest that intervention may have differential benefits for specific subgroups of patients in the ED, an area of research that may warrant additional study of brief intervention in the ED setting.
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J Stud Alcohol Drugs · May 2009
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative StudyA randomized, double-blind comparison of lorazepam and chlordiazepoxide in patients with uncomplicated alcohol withdrawal.
For important reasons, lorazepam (Ativan) and chlordiazepoxide (Librium) are both popular treatments for alcohol-withdrawal syndrome. Nevertheless, there is little literature directly comparing the two drugs. A formal comparison is desirable because of pharmacokinetic and other differences that could affect safety and efficacy considerations relevant to practice in developing countries. ⋯ With the treatment schedule used in this study, lorazepam is as effective as the more traditional drug chlordiazepoxide in attenuating uncomplicated alcohol withdrawal. Lorazepam, therefore, could be used with confidence when liver disease or the inability to determine liver function status renders chlordiazepoxide therapy problematic. The absence of clinically significant withdrawal complications with lorazepam in this large study contrasts with findings from previously published studies and suggests that higher doses of lorazepam than those formerly used may be necessary during alcohol withdrawal.