title: Brief interventions in dependent drinkers: a comparative prospective analysis in two hospitals.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate whether brief interventions (BIs) delivered by a dedicated Alcohol Specialist Nurse (ASN) to non-treatment-seeking alcohol-dependent patients in an acute hospital setting are effective in reducing alcohol consumption and dependence.
  
  
  METHODS
  A prospective cohort control study in two acute NHS Hospital Trusts in the North West England, one of which provided BI (university teaching hospital-test site) while the other did not (district general hospital-control site), including follow-up BIs. Subjects were alcohol-dependent patients aged ≥18 years.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 100 patients were recruited at each site. No differences were found between the groups in the baseline demographic parameters or medical co-morbidities. At the test site, further sessions were sometimes offered, and 46 patients received more than one intervention (median 4, mean 6.3 and maximum 20). At 6 months, alcohol consumption (P < 0.0001), Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Tool (AUDIT) score (P < 0.0001) and Severity of Alcohol Dependence Questionnaire score (P = 0.0001) were significantly lower at the test site than the control site. Outcomes were found to be independent of both the baseline level of dependence and medical co-morbidity.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  BI delivered by a dedicated ASN for non-treatment-seeking alcohol-dependent individuals, who often have significant medical co-morbidities, seem to be effective in an acute hospital setting. This study provides a framework to inform the design of a future randomized controlled trial.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Therapeutics University of Liverpool, Sherrington Buildings, Liverpool L69 3GE, UK.
authors.forename: Kathryn
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Cobain
authors.forename: Lynn
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Owens
authors.forename: Ruwanthi
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kolamunnage-Dona
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Fitzgerald
authors.forename: Ian
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Gilmore
authors.forename: Munir
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pirmohamed
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000523:psychology*; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology*; D002492:Central Nervous System Depressants / Q000009:adverse effects; D000431:Ethanol / Q000009:adverse effects; D005260:Female; D006769:Hospitals, General; D006785:Hospitals, University; D006801:Humans; D007297:Inpatients; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011614:Psychotherapy, Brief; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D002492:Central Nervous System Depressants; D000431:Ethanol