Effects of screening and brief intervention on alcohol consumption in an emergency department

Alcohol use is associated with high levels of morbidity and mortality. Alcohol problems are common in emergency departments (EDs). This study investigated the effect of screening and a new brief intervention (BI) protocol on alcohol consumption of ED patients.

The participants of this study were those aged 18 years or older who visited the ED due to injury over 12 weeks. BI was offered to patients with a score of 8 or higher on alcohol use disorders identification test (AUDIT) screening. Follow-up telephone assessments were conducted at one week, one month, and three months.

The risk drinker (RD) group (AUDIT 8-15) comprised 101 patients, and the alcohol use disorder (AUD) group (AUDIT >16) comprised 41 patients. Before the BI, the weekly mean alcohol intake amount for the RD group was 180.90±98.34 g and for the AUD group was 358.00± 110.62 g. Alcohol consumption was reduced to 132.39±75.87 g in the RD group and 181.86± 78.11 g in the AUD group in the 3-month follow-up assessment. Alcohol consumption in the AUD group reduced significantly compared to the RD group (P<0.001).

Alcohol screening and BI contributed to alcohol intake reduction in ED patients. Specifically, the BI effect was greater in the AUD group than the RD group. The ED can be an effective place to begin implementing screening and intervention for alcohol use patients at risk.