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ABSTRACT: The authors describe characteristics of treatment use among veterans who had addiction treatment in non-Veterans Affairs (VA) facilities in Washington state and who used health care services, including addiction treatment, in VA facilities. From 1996 through 2000, 2,649 VA patients received addiction treatment in Washington state facilities, with 56% (n = 1,489) also receiving some VA specialty addiction treatment and the remaining 44% (n = 1,160) receiving VA health care services unrelated to addiction treatment. Among all veterans receiving addiction treatment in VA facilities in Washington state (n = 11,663), 11% also had treatment in non-VA centers. Over the more than 4-year period, female veterans seen in both systems were less likely to receive VA specialty addiction treatment than were male veterans (40% vs. 58%). This article shows that a significant number of veterans received addiction treatment in both VA and non-VA facilities in Washington state. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Psychological Services 10/2012; 1(2):120-125. · 1.08 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Substance use disorders (SUDs) are among the most common and costly conditions in veterans and active duty military personnel, adversely affecting their health and occupational and personal functioning. The pervasive burden of SUD has been a continuing concern for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and Department of Defense (DoD), particularly as large numbers of service members return from Operations Enduring and Iraqi Freedom. The VA and DoD have prioritized implementation of evidence-based practices and treatment services to enhance the recognition and management of SUD in general medical and SUD specialty-care settings. This article summarizes the clinical practice guidelines for identifying, diagnosing, and treating SUD in VA and DoD general medical and SUD specialty-care settings, highlights evidence-based pharmacotherapy and psychosocial interventions for managing SUD, and describes barriers to successful treatment of veterans and service members at risk for SUD in VA and DoD health care systems.
Military medicine 08/2012; 177(8 Suppl):29-38. · 0.92 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: This study assessed changes since 2007 at Veterans Health Administration (VHA) facilities (N=129) in use of the medications approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for treatment of alcohol use disorders.
VHA data from fiscal years (FYs) 2008 and 2009 were used to identify patients with a diagnosis of an alcohol use disorder who received oral or extended-release naltrexone, disulfiram, or acamprosate as well as the proportion of days covered (PDC) in the 180 days after initiation and the time to first ten-day gap in possession (persistence) for each medication. Multilevel, mixed-effects logistic regression models examined the association between patient and facility characteristics and use of medications.
Nationally, 3.4% of VHA patients with an alcohol use disorder received medications in FY 2009 (11,165 of 331,635 patients), up from 3.0% in FY 2007. Use of medications by patients at the facilities ranged from 0% to 12%. In fully adjusted analyses, facilities offering evening and weekend services had higher rates of medication receipt, but other facility characteristics, such as having prescribers on the addiction program's staff or using medication to treat opioid or tobacco dependence, were unrelated to medication receipt. The mean PDC of acamprosate was significantly lower than mean PDCs of the other medications (p<.05), and persistence in use of naltrexone was significantly greater than use of acamprosate and significantly less than use of disulfiram (p<.05).
Use of these medications is increasing but remains variable across the VHA system. Interventions are needed to optimize initiation of and persistence in use of these medications.
Psychiatric services (Washington, D.C.) 05/2012; 63(7):679-85. · 2.81 Impact Factor
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Katharine A Bradley,
Anna D Rubinsky,
Haili Sun,
David K Blough,
Hanne Tønnesen,
Grant Hughes,
Lauren A Beste,
Michael J Bishop,
Mary T Hawn,
Charles Maynard,
Alex S H Harris,
Eric J Hawkins,
Chris L Bryson,
Thomas K Houston,
William G Henderson, Daniel R Kivlahan
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ABSTRACT: Patients who screen positive for alcohol misuse on the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test Consumption Questionnaire (AUDIT-C ≥5 points) have significantly increased postoperative complications. Severe alcohol misuse (AUDIT-C ≥9 points) is associated with increased postoperative health care use; however, little is known about the prevalence of alcohol misuse in demographic and clinical subgroups of surgical patients.
The prevalence of alcohol misuse was evaluated among 10,284 patients (9,771 men and 513 women) who underwent major noncardiac surgery in Veterans Affairs (VA) hospitals during the fiscal years 2004 to 2006 and completed the AUDIT-C. Sex-stratified analyses evaluated prevalence rates of alcohol misuse (AUDIT-C ≥5) and severe misuse (AUDIT-C ≥9) across demographic and clinical subgroups.
Overall, 1,607 (16%) men and 24 (5%) women screened positive for alcohol misuse (AUDIT-C ≥5) in the year before operation, with 4% and 2% screening positive for severe misuse (AUDIT-C ≥9), respectively. Alcohol misuse was more common among men who were <60 years of age, divorced or separated, current smokers, or American Stoke Association class 1 or 2, and those with cirrhosis/hepatitis or substance use disorders. Among patients with alcohol misuse, 36% of men and 58% of women were American Society of Anesthesiologists class 1 or 2, and most did not have diagnoses that were commonly associated with alcohol misuse.
Alcohol misuse is relatively common in male surgical patients. Moreover, surgical patients undergoing operation who screen positive for alcohol misuse are often relatively healthy, without health problems that might alert providers to their alcohol misuse in the absence of screening.
Surgery 04/2012; 152(1):69-81. · 3.10 Impact Factor
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Anna D Rubinsky,
Haili Sun,
David K Blough,
Charles Maynard,
Christopher L Bryson,
Alex H Harris,
Eric J Hawkins,
Lauren A Beste,
William G Henderson,
Mary T Hawn,
Grant Hughes,
Michael J Bishop,
Ruth Etzioni,
Hanne Tønnesen, Daniel R Kivlahan,
Katharine A Bradley
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ABSTRACT: Alcohol screening scores ≥5 on the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test-Consumption (AUDIT-C) up to a year before surgery have been associated with postoperative complications, but the association with postoperative health care use is unknown. This study evaluated whether AUDIT-C scores in the year before surgery were associated with postoperative hospital length of stay, total ICU days, return to the operating room, and hospital readmission.
This cohort study included male Veterans Affairs patients who completed the AUDIT-C on mailed surveys (October 2003 through September 2006) and were hospitalized for nonemergent noncardiac major operations in the following year. Postoperative health care use was evaluated across 4 AUDIT-C risk groups (scores 0, 1 to 4, 5 to 8, and 9 to 12) using linear or logistic regression models adjusted for sociodemographics, smoking status, surgical category, relative value unit, and time from AUDIT-C to surgery. Patients with AUDIT-C scores indicating low-risk drinking (scores 1 to 4) were the referent group.
Adjusted analyses revealed that among eligible surgical patients (n = 5,171), those with the highest AUDIT-C scores (ie, 9 to 12) had longer postoperative hospital length of stay (5.8 [95% CI, 5.0-6.7] vs 5.0 [95% CI, 4.7-5.3] days), more ICU days (4.5 [95% CI, 3.2-5.8] vs 2.8 [95% CI, 2.6-3.1] days), and increased probability of return to the operating room (10% [95% CI, 6-13%] vs 5% [95% CI, 4-6%]) in the 30 days after surgery, but not increased hospital readmission within 30 days postdischarge, relative to the low-risk group.
AUDIT-C screening results could be used to identify patients at risk for increased postoperative health care use who might benefit from preoperative alcohol interventions.
Journal of the American College of Surgeons 03/2012; 214(3):296-305.e1. · 4.55 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Although the Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense (VA/DoD) clinical guidelines for management of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) recommend against routine benzodiazepine use, little is known about the trends and clinical and prescription profiles of benzodiazepine use since these guidelines were released in 2004.
This retrospective study included 64,872 patients with a PTSD diagnosis received from care at facilities in VA Northwest Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN 20) during 2003-2010. Annual prevalence of any use was defined as any prescription for benzodiazepines, and long-term use was defined as >90 days' supply, in a year. Gender-specific logistic regressions were fit to estimate any and long-term benzodiazepine use, test for linear trends over 8-years and explore factors associated with trends.
The trend of age-adjusted benzodiazepine use over 8-years rose significantly from 25.0 to 26.8% among men and 31.2 to 38.8% among women. Long-term use in men and women increased from 15.4 to 16.4% and 18.0 to 22.7%, respectively. Comorbid psychiatric and alcohol use disorders (AUD) were associated with a greater increase in long-term use of benzodiazepines. In 2010, 61% of benzodiazepine users received >90 days' supply. Among those prescribed benzodiazepines long-term, 11% had AUD and 47% were also prescribed opioids long-term.
Despite VA/DoD clinical guidelines recommending against routine use of benzodiazepines for PTSD, the adjusted prevalence of long-term use increased among men and women with PTSD in VISN 20. Widespread concomitant use of benzodiazepines and opioids suggests risk management systems and research on the efficacy and safety of these medications are needed.
Drug and alcohol dependence 02/2012; 124(1-2):154-61. · 3.60 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Research on increased medical care costs associated with posttraumatic sequelae has focused on posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, the provisional diagnosis of Disorders of Extreme Stress Not Otherwise Specified (DESNOS) encompasses broader trauma-related difficulties and may be uniquely related to medical costs. We investigated whether DESNOS severity was associated with greater nonmental health medical care costs in veterans receiving mental health care. Participants were 106 men and 105 women receiving VA outpatient mental health treatment. A standardized interview assessed DESNOS severity. The dependent variables consisted of primary and specialty medical treatment costs. Sequential zero-inflated negative binomial regression was used to evaluate the variance in medical costs accounted for by DESNOS severity, controlling for PTSD severity and established predisposing, enabling, and need-based health care factors. Contrary to our hypothesis, in fully adjusted models, DESNOS severity independently added a significant amount of variance to lower specialty medical care costs, whereas PTSD did not consistently account for significant variance in medical care costs. Greater DESNOS severity appears to be associated with lower specialty medical care costs but not primary care costs. These findings may indicate that patients with DESNOS symptoms are at risk for being underreferred for specialty care.
Journal of Interpersonal Violence 12/2011; 27(6):1005-22. · 1.64 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Although substance use disorders (SUDs) are chronic conditions for many patients, the prevalence, predictors, and health care utilization patterns of those who reenter SUD specialty care are understudied. We identified 1,640 patients who initiated SUD specialty care at 1 Veterans Affairs (VA) medical center and categorized them, using their subsequent 24 and prior 60 months receipt of VA SUD care, as index episode only (35.7%, 33.5-38.1), index and prior episode(s) (24.6%, 22.5-22.7), and index and postindex episodes (39.6%, 37.3-42.0). Compared with the index episode-only group, the postindex episode(s) group had modestly higher percentages of men, divorced/separated, and alcohol use, cocaine use, bipolar disorder, and psychotic disorders. Patients with postindex episodes averaged 2 times more postindex emergency visits and mental health hospitalizations than patients with an index only episode. Results document the prevalence, overall health care utilization, and limited predictability of SUD treatment reentry and support development of new models of care for these complex patients.
Journal of substance abuse treatment 12/2011; 43(2):221-30. · 2.90 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Relationships between health care process performance measures (PPMs) and outcomes can differ in magnitude and even direction for patients versus higher level units (e.g., health care facilities). Such discrepancies can arise because facility-level relationships ignore PPM-outcome relationships for patients within facilities, may have different confounders than patient-level PPM-outcome relationships, and may reflect facility effect modification of patient PPM-outcome relationships. If a patient-level PPM is related to better patient outcomes, that care process should be encouraged. However, the finding in a multilevel analysis that the proportion of patients receiving PPM care across facilities nevertheless is linked to poor hospital outcomes would suggest that interventions targeting the health care facility also are needed.
American Journal of Public Health 09/2011; 101(9):1635-42. · 3.93 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Alcohol screening questionnaires have typically been validated when self- or researcher-administered. Little is known about the performance of alcohol screening questionnaires administered in clinical settings.
The purpose of this study was to compare the results of alcohol screening conducted as part of routine outpatient clinical care in the Veterans Affairs (VA) Health Care System to the results on the same alcohol screening questionnaire completed on a mailed survey within 90 days and identify factors associated with discordant screening results.
Cross sectional.
A national sample of 6,861 VA outpatients (fiscal years 2007-2008) who completed the AUDIT-C alcohol screening questionnaire on mailed surveys (survey screen) within 90 days of having clinical AUDIT-C screening documented in their medical records (clinical screen).
Alcohol screening results were considered discordant if patients screened positive (AUDIT-C ≥ 5) on either the clinical or survey screen but not both. Multivariable logistic regression was used to estimate the prevalence of discordance in different patient subgroups based on demographic and clinical characteristics, VA network and temporal factors (e.g. the order of screens).
Whereas 11.1% (95% CI 10.4-11.9%) of patients screened positive for unhealthy alcohol use on the survey screen, 5.7% (5.1- 6.2%) screened positive on the clinical screen. Of 765 patients who screened positive on the survey screen, 61.2% (57.7-64.6%) had discordant results on the clinical screen, contrasted with 1.5% (1.2-1.8%) of 6096 patients who screened negative on the survey screen. In multivariable analyses, discordance was significantly increased among Black patients compared with White, and among patients who had a positive survey AUDIT-C screen or who received care at 4 of 21 VA networks.
Use of a validated alcohol screening questionnaire does not-by itself-ensure the quality of alcohol screening. This study suggests that the quality of clinical alcohol screening should be monitored, even when well-validated screening questionnaires are used.
Journal of General Internal Medicine 03/2011; 26(3):299-306. · 2.83 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Most studies comparing frequent self-monitoring protocols and retrospective assessments of alcohol use find good correspondence, but have excluded participants with significant comorbidity and/or social instability, and some have included abstainers. We evaluated the correspondence between measures of alcohol use based on daily interactive voice response (IVR) telephone monitoring and a 28-day modification of the Form-90 (Form-28). Participants were 25 outpatients with alcohol use disorder and significant PTSD symptomatology . Overall correlations between the IVR and Form-28 on days drinking and total standard drink units (SDUs) were strong for the entire sample and the subsample of drinkers (n = 7). Day-to-day correspondence between IVR and Form-28 was modest, but much stronger for the most recent week assessed than for the prior 3 weeks. Finally, the drinkers reported significantly greater total SDUs and heavy drinking days on the Form-28 than via IVR. The results indicate a need for further refinement of IVR methodology for treatment seeking populations as well as caution when retrospectively assessing drinking over time periods longer than a week among these individuals.
American Journal on Addictions 01/2011; 20(1):63-8. · 1.74 Impact Factor
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Katharine A Bradley,
Anna D Rubinsky,
Haili Sun,
Chris L Bryson,
Michael J Bishop,
David K Blough,
William G Henderson,
Charles Maynard,
Mary T Hawn,
Hanne Tønnesen,
Grant Hughes,
Lauren A Beste,
Alex H S Harris,
Eric J Hawkins,
Thomas K Houston, Daniel R Kivlahan
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ABSTRACT: Patients who misuse alcohol are at increased risk for surgical complications. Four weeks of preoperative abstinence decreases the risk of complications, but practical approaches for early preoperative identification of alcohol misuse are needed.
To evaluate whether results of alcohol screening with the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test - Consumption (AUDIT-C) questionnaire-up to a year before surgery-were associated with the risk of postoperative complications.
This is a cohort study.
Male Veterans Affairs (VA) patients were eligible if they had major noncardiac surgery assessed by the VA's Surgical Quality Improvement Program (VASQIP) in fiscal years 2004-2006, and completed the AUDIT-C alcohol screening questionnaire (0-12 points) on a mailed survey within 1 year before surgery.
One or more postoperative complication(s) within 30 days of surgery based on VASQIP nurse medical record reviews.
Among 9,176 eligible men, 16.3% screened positive for alcohol misuse with AUDIT-C scores ≥ 5, and 7.8% had postoperative complications. Patients with AUDIT-C scores ≥ 5 were at significantly increased risk for postoperative complications, compared to patients who drank less. In analyses adjusted for age, smoking, and days from screening to surgery, the estimated prevalence of postoperative complications increased from 5.6% (95% CI 4.8-6.6%) in patients with AUDIT-C scores 1-4, to 7.9% (6.3-9.7%) in patients with AUDIT-Cs 5-8, 9.7% (6.6-14.1%) in patients with AUDIT-Cs 9-10 and 14.0% (8.9-21.3%) in patients with AUDIT-Cs 11-12. In fully-adjusted analyses that included preoperative covariates potentially in the causal pathway between alcohol misuse and complications, the estimated prevalence of postoperative complications increased significantly from 4.8% (4.1-5.7%) in patients with AUDIT-C scores 1-4, to 6.9% (5.5-8.7%) in patients with AUDIT-Cs 5-8 and 7.5% (5.0-11.3%) among those with AUDIT-Cs 9-10.
AUDIT-C scores of 5 or more up to a year before surgery were associated with increased postoperative complications.
Journal of General Internal Medicine 09/2010; 26(2):162-9. · 2.83 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Alcohol screening and brief interventions (BIs) are ranked the third highest US prevention priority, but effective methods of implementing BI into routine care have not been described.
This study evaluated the prevalence of documented BI among Veterans Affairs (VA) outpatients with alcohol misuse before, during, and after implementation of a national performance measure (PM) linked to incentives and dissemination of an electronic clinical reminder (CR) for BI.
VA outpatients were included in this study if they were randomly sampled for national medical record reviews and screened positive for alcohol misuse (Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test-Consumption score ≥5) between July 2006 and September 2008 (N=6788). Consistent with the PM, BI was defined as documented advice to reduce or abstain from drinking plus feedback linking drinking to health. The prevalence of BI was evaluated among outpatients who screened positive for alcohol misuse during 4 successive phases of BI implementation: baseline year (n=3504), after announcement (n=753) and implementation (n=697) of the PM, and after CR dissemination (n=1834), unadjusted and adjusted for patient characteristics.
Among patients with alcohol misuse, the adjusted prevalence of BI increased significantly over successive phases of BI implementation, from 5.5% (95% CI 4.1%-7.5%), 7.6% (5.6%-10.3%), 19.1% (15.4%-23.7%), to 29.0% (25.0%-33.4%) during the baseline year, after PM announcement, PM implementation, and CR dissemination, respectively (test for trend P<0.001).
A national PM supported by dissemination of an electronic CR for BI was associated with meaningful increases in the prevalence of documented brief alcohol interventions.
Medical care 09/2010; 50(2):179-87. · 3.24 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: 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.
The systems-level intervention evaluated in this study consisted of making the clinical reminder, which facilitated medical record documentation of brief intervention among patients who screened positive for unhealthy alcohol use, available to providers on one (of two) randomly selected hallways. Secondary electronic data were extracted for all patients who visited the clinic (October 1, 2002, to September 30, 2005). The proportion of patients with clinical-reminder use was evaluated among patients who screened positive for unhealthy drinking and were assigned to intervention hallway providers ("descriptive cohort"). Adjusted logistic regression evaluated the association between the intervention and resolution of unhealthy drinking at follow-up among all screen-positive patients who completed a second Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test Consumption questionnaire 18 months or longer after the first ("outcomes cohort").
Eligible patients (N= 22,863) included 10,392 controls and 12,471 in the intervention group. Fifteen percent (398 of 2,640) of descriptive cohort patients with unhealthy drinking had clinical-reminder use, which varied by severity (14% [n = 302 of 2,165] with mild/moderate and 20% [n = 96 of 475] with severe unhealthy drinking,p = .001). Only 39% (156 of 398) of patients with clinical-reminder use had documented brief intervention; advice to abstain was most common. Access to the clinical reminder was not significantly associated with resolution of unhealthy drinking in 1,358 patients in the outcomes cohort.
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.
Journal of studies on alcohol and drugs 09/2010; 71(5):720-5. · 2.25 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: This secondary analysis evaluated the prevalence and stability of homelessness over one year among veterans entering substance abuse treatment and explored associations among housing status, treatment outcomes, and Veterans Affairs (VA) service utilization.
Participants in a trial of on-site primary care for veterans entering substance abuse treatment (N=622) were placed in four groups based on housing status: housed at baseline and final follow-up (41%), homeless at baseline and final follow-up (27%), housed at baseline but homeless at final follow-up (8%), and homeless at baseline but housed at final follow-up (24%). Groups were compared on treatment retention, changes in Addiction Severity Index (ASI) composite scores, and VA service utilization and costs.
Treatment retention and changes in ASI alcohol composites did not differ between groups. Compared with scores in the consistently housed group, the ASI drug composites improved less over time in the consistently homeless group (p=.031) and the ASI psychiatric composites improved less in the group housed at baseline and homeless at final follow-up (p=.019). All homeless groups were more likely than the consistently housed group to have inpatient admissions and incurred higher total treatment costs. The consistently homeless group was more likely to use emergency care than the consistently housed group.
Homelessness affects substance abuse treatment outcomes and costs. Interventions are needed to reduce homelessness among veterans entering substance abuse treatment.
Psychiatric services (Washington, D.C.) 07/2010; 61(7):698-706. · 2.81 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Brief alcohol counseling interventions can reduce alcohol consumption and related morbidity among non-dependent risky drinkers, but more intensive alcohol treatment is recommended for persons with alcohol dependence. This study evaluated whether scores on common alcohol screening tests could identify patients likely to have current alcohol dependence so that more appropriate follow-up assessment and/or intervention could be offered. This cross-sectional study used secondary data from 392 male and 927 female adult family medicine outpatients (1993-1994). Likelihood ratios were used to empirically identify and evaluate ranges of scores of the AUDIT, the AUDIT-C, two single-item questions about frequency of binge drinking, and the CAGE questionnaire for detecting DSM-IV past-year alcohol dependence. Based on the prevalence of past-year alcohol dependence in this sample (men: 12.2%; women: 5.8%), zones of the AUDIT and AUDIT-C identified wide variability in the post-screening risk of alcohol dependence in men and women, even among those who screened positive for alcohol misuse. Among men, AUDIT zones 5-10, 11-14 and 15-40 were associated with post-screening probabilities of past-year alcohol dependence ranging from 18 to 87%, and AUDIT-C zones 5-6, 7-9 and 10-12 were associated with probabilities ranging from 22 to 75%. Among women, AUDIT zones 3-4, 5-8, 9-12 and 13-40 were associated with post-screening probabilities of past-year alcohol dependence ranging from 6 to 94%, and AUDIT-C zones 3, 4-6, 7-9 and 10-12 were associated with probabilities ranging from 9 to 88%. AUDIT or AUDIT-C scores could be used to estimate the probability of past-year alcohol dependence among patients who screen positive for alcohol misuse and inform clinical decision-making.
Drug and alcohol dependence 04/2010; 108(1-2):29-36. · 3.60 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Acamprosate, oral and long-acting injectable naltrexone, and disulfiram are approved for treatment of alcohol dependence. Their availability and consideration of their use in treatment are now standards of high-quality care. This study determined rates of medication initiation among Veterans Health Administration (VHA) patients.
VHA pharmacy and administrative data were used to identify patients with alcohol use disorder diagnoses in fiscal years (FY) 2006 and 2007 and the proportion (nationally and by facility) who received each medication. Patient characteristics associated with receipt were also examined.
Among more than a quarter-million patients with alcohol use disorder diagnoses, the percentage receiving any of the medications increased from 2.8% in FY 2006 to 3.0% in FY 2007. Receipt of these medications was more likely among patients who received specialty addiction care, those with alcohol dependence (compared with abuse), those younger than 55 years, and females. In the patient subgroups examined, the largest proportion to receive any of the medications was 11.6%. Across 128 VHA facilities, rates of use among patients in the sample who had received past-year specialty addiction treatment ranged from 0% to 20.5%; rates ranged from 0% to 4.3% among those with no specialty treatment. Patient preferences and medical contraindications could not be determined from the data.
Findings suggest the need to better understand systemwide variation in use of these medications and their use as a rough proxy for availability and consideration of pharmacotherapy--a standard of care with strong organizational support.
Psychiatric services (Washington, D.C.) 04/2010; 61(4):392-8. · 2.81 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: OBJECTIVES:: Alcohol use is associated with self-reported health status. However, little is known about the concurrent association between alcohol screening scores and patient perception of health. We evaluated this association in a sample of primarily older male veterans. METHODS:: This secondary, cross-sectional analysis included male general medicine outpatients from 7 VA medical centers who returned mailed questionnaires. Screening scores from the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test Consumption (AUDIT-C) questionnaire were divided into 6 categories (0, 1-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9, and 10-12). Outcomes included scores on the 8 subscales and 2 component scores of the 36-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36). Unadjusted and adjusted linear regression models were fit to characterize the association between AUDIT-C categories and SF-36 scores. Models were adjusted for demographic characteristics, smoking, and site-both alone and in combination with 14 self-reported comorbid conditions. RESULTS:: Male respondents (n = 24,531; mean age = 63.6 years) represented 69% of those surveyed with the SF-36. After adjustment, a quadratic (inverted U-shaped) relationship was demonstrated between AUDIT-C categories and all SF-36 scores such that patients with AUDIT-C scores 4-5 or 6-7 reported the highest health status, and patients with AUDIT-C scores 0, 8-9, and ≥10 reported the lowest health status. CONCLUSIONS:: Across all measures of health status, patients with the most severe alcohol misuse had significantly poorer health status than those who screened positive for alcohol misuse at mild or moderate levels of severity. The relatively good health status reported by patients with mild-moderate alcohol misuse might interfere with clinicians' acceptance and adoption of guidelines recommending that they counsel these patients about their drinking.
Journal of Addiction Medicine 03/2010; 4(1):27-37. · 1.95 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Mental health problems have been identified among soldiers serving in Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom (OEF/OIF), but little is known about the prevalence and management of alcohol misuse in OEF/OIF veterans seen in the Veterans Administration health care system (VA).
We identified 12,092 veterans (n=2009 women) 55 and younger and screened for alcohol misuse in FY2007 from a cross-sectional national sample of VA outpatients randomly selected for standardized medical record review for quality monitoring. Alcohol misuse was assessed with the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test Consumption questions (AUDIT-C > or =5). Based on medical record reviews, brief alcohol interventions (BI) were defined as documented (1) advice to abstain or drink within recommended limits or (2) feedback about health risks associated with drinking.
Adjusted prevalence of alcohol misuse was higher in OEF/OIF men than non-OEF/OIF men [21.8% vs. 10.5%, adjusted odds ratio (AOR)=2.37 (95% CI: 1.88-2.99)], but did not differ reliably between OEF/OIF and non-OEF/OIF women [4.7% vs. 2.9%, AOR=1.68 (0.74-3.79)]. Adjusted rates of documented advice or feedback [31.6% vs. 34.6%, AOR=0.87 (0.58-1.21)] and referral [24.1% vs. 28.9%, AOR=0.78 (0.47-1.30)] were not significantly different between OEF/OIF and non-OEF/OIF men who screened positive for alcohol misuse.
OEF/OIF men were more likely to screen positive for alcohol misuse than non-OEF/OIF men. Overall, approximately half of those with alcohol misuse had documented BI and/or referral to alcohol treatment suggesting a need for improvement in addressing alcohol misuse in OEF/OIF and other veterans.
Drug and alcohol dependence 02/2010; 109(1-3):147-53. · 3.60 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Brief alcohol counseling is a foremost US prevention priority, but no health-care system has implemented it into routine care. This study evaluated the effectiveness of an electronic clinical reminder for brief alcohol counseling ("reminder"). The specific aims were to (1) determine the prevalence of use of the reminder and (2) evaluate whether use of the reminder was associated with resolution of unhealthy alcohol use at follow-up screening.
The reminder was implemented in February 2004 in eight VA clinics where providers routinely used clinical reminders. Patients eligible for this retrospective cohort study screened positive on the AUDIT-C alcohol screening questionnaire (February 2004-April 2006) and had a repeat AUDIT-C during the 1-36 months of follow-up (mean 14.5). Use of the alcohol counseling clinical reminder was measured from secondary electronic data. Resolution of unhealthy alcohol use was defined as screening negative at follow-up with a >/=2-point reduction in AUDIT-C scores. Logistic regression was used to identify adjusted proportions of patients who resolved unhealthy alcohol use among those with and without reminder use.
Among 4,198 participants who screened positive for unhealthy alcohol use, 71% had use of the alcohol counseling clinical reminder documented in their medical records. Adjusted proportions of patients who resolved unhealthy alcohol use were 31% (95% CI 30-33%) and 28% (95% CI 25-30%), respectively, for patients with and without reminder use (p-value = 0.031).
The brief alcohol counseling clinical reminder was used for a majority of patients with unhealthy alcohol use and associated with a moderate decrease in drinking at follow-up.
Journal of General Internal Medicine 01/2010; 25 Suppl 1:11-7. · 2.83 Impact Factor
