title: Effect of a primary care based brief intervention trial among risky drug users on health-related quality of life.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Improvement in quality of life (QOL) is a long term goal of drug treatment. Although some brief interventions have been found to reduce illicit drug use, no trial among adult risky (moderate non-dependent) drug users has tested effects on health-related quality of life.
  
  
  METHODS
  A single-blind randomized controlled trial of patients enrolled from February 2011 to November 2012 was conducted in waiting rooms of five federally qualified health centers. 413 adult primary care patients were identified as risky drug users using the WHO-ASSIST and 334 (81% response; 171 intervention, 163 control) consented to participate in the trial. Three-month follow-ups were completed by 261 patients (78%). Intervention patients received the QUIT intervention of brief clinician advice and up to two drug-use health telephone sessions. The control group received usual care and information on cancer screening. Outcomes were three-month changes in the Short Form Health Survey (SF-12) mental health component summary score (MCS) and physical health component summary score (PCS).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The average treatment effect (ATE) was non-significant for MCS (0.2 points, p-value=0.87) and marginally significant for PCS (1.7 points, p-value=0.08). The average treatment effect on the treated (ATT) was 0.1 (p-value=0.93) for MCS and 1.9 (p-value=0.056) for PCS. The effect on PCS was stronger at higher (above median) baseline number of drug use days: ATE=2.7, p-value=0.04; ATT=3.21, p-value=0.02.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The trial found a marginally significant effect on improvement in PCS, and significant and stronger effect on the SF-12 physical component among patients with greater frequency of initial drug use.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Community Medicine, University Medicine Greifswald, Walther-Rathenau-Strasse 48, 17489 Greifswald, Germany. Electronic address: sebastian.baumeister@uni-greifswald.de.
authors.forename: Sebastian E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Baumeister
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, 10880 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 1880, Los Angeles, CA 90095-7078, United States; Department of Health Policy and Management, Fielding School of Public Health, University of California Los Angeles, 650 Charles Young Dr. S. 31-269 CHS, Box 951772, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1772, United States; Office of Healthcare Transformation and Innovation, VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, 11301 Wilshire Blvd, BLDG 500, Room 1601, Los Angeles, CA 90073, United States.
authors.forename: Lillian
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gelberg
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, 10880 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 1880, Los Angeles, CA 90095-7078, United States.
authors.forename: Barbara D
authors.initials: BD
authors.lastname: Leake
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, 10880 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 1880, Los Angeles, CA 90095-7078, United States.
authors.forename: Julia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yacenda-Murphy
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, 10880 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 1880, Los Angeles, CA 90095-7078, United States.
authors.forename: Mani
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vahidi
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Policy and Management, Fielding School of Public Health, University of California Los Angeles, 650 Charles Young Dr. S. 31-269 CHS, Box 951772, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1772, United States.
authors.forename: Ronald M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Andersen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003376:Counseling / Q000379:methods*; D055030:Drug Users / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011320:Primary Health Care; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D019114:Remote Consultation; D012309:Risk-Taking; D016037:Single-Blind Method; D016896:Treatment Outcome
keywords: Brief intervention; Illicit drug use; Primary care clinics; Quality of life; Screening