Alcohol Research and Health

Screening and Brief Intervention in the Emergency Department

Many patients visiting hospital emergency departments (EDs) or admitted to trauma centers have alcohol problems. Therefore, it is plausible that all ED and trauma patients should be screened for unhealthy alcohol use so that optimal care can be provided and treatment initiated, if necessary, for these patients. In addition, brief interventions offered directly in the ED or trauma unit could be useful for many patients. Some studies have found such interventions to be feasible and effective in...

Screening Tests

Three screening tools for identifying hazardous or risky drinking of patients are presented. These include the AUDIT, CAGE, and T-ACE.

Screening and Brief Intervention in the Criminal Justice System

A large proportion of offenders in the criminal justice system have alcohol-related problems. Therefore, it makes sense to implement alcohol screening and brief intervention programs for people in this setting, particularly for impaired driving offenders, who are likely to be alcohol dependent. Although most States mandate screening for impaired drivers, not much effort has been put forth to determine how the screening process could be improved and expanded to the entire criminal justice popu...

Screening and Brief Intervention in Primary Care Settings

Primary care practitioners are in a unique position to identify patients with potential alcohol problems and intervene when appropriate. Screening, the process by which practitioners can identify at-risk drinkers, can be followed by one-time or repeated short counseling sessions, known as brief interventions, which are designed to help the patient reduce drinking and minimize related problems. Varied levels of screening and brief intervention can be implemented in the primary care setting, de...

Screening and Brief Intervention in Prenatal Care Settings

Pregnant women continue to drink despite evidence that prenatal alcohol consumption can negatively affect fetal growth and development. Because no universally safe level of prenatal alcohol use has been established, it is beneficial to identify and modify a woman's prenatal alcohol use early in her pregnancy, particularly as her past drinking habits can predict her drinking levels during pregnancy. Some women may voluntarily disclose the extent of their prenatal alcohol consumption. If not, t...

Brief Intervention in College Settings

It is well established that college students have high rates of alcohol use and misuse and suffer the negative consequences of this behavior. Research evaluating the results of brief interventions with high-risk college students has shown these approaches to be successful in reducing alcohol consumption and/or related consequences. Several screening tools have been developed to detect the presence of problematic alcohol use and associated disorders, and some are designed specifically for use ...

Legal Barriers To Screening In Eds And Trauma Centers

Legal Barriers to Alcohol Screening in Emergency Departments and Trauma Centers

Research has shown that screening emergency department (ED) and trauma center patients in the US for alcohol use not only helps physicians make a more accurate diagnosis of patients' conditions and decide on an appropriate treatment plans but also may allow for brief interventions and referrals to more extensive treatment. However, as Chezem discusses, some observers have identified the legal provisions that deal with alcohol use and the insurance payment of benefits for medical care as a fac...