Talk to the Veterans Crisis Line now
U.S. flag
An official website of the United States government

VA Health Systems Research

Go to the VA ORD website
Go to the QUERI website

HSR Citation Abstract

Search | Search by Center | Search by Source | Keywords in Title

Alcohol Screening and Intervention Among United States Adults who Attend Ambulatory Healthcare.

Glass JE, Bohnert KM, Brown RL. Alcohol Screening and Intervention Among United States Adults who Attend Ambulatory Healthcare. Journal of general internal medicine. 2016 Jul 1; 31(7):739-45.

Dimensions for VA is a web-based tool available to VA staff that enables detailed searches of published research and research projects.

If you have VA-Intranet access, click here for more information vaww.hsrd.research.va.gov/dimensions/

VA staff not currently on the VA network can access Dimensions by registering for an account using their VA email address.
   Search Dimensions for VA for this citation
* Don't have VA-internal network access or a VA email address? Try searching the free-to-the-public version of Dimensions



Abstract:

BACKGROUND: There is limited data on the extent to which indicated alcohol interventions are delivered in U.S. ambulatory care settings. OBJECTIVE: To assess the receipt of alcohol-related services, including assessment of use, advice to reduce drinking, and information about alcohol treatment, during ambulatory care visits. DESIGN: Secondary data analysis of the 2013 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, a cross-sectional, nationally representative survey of civilians in the non-institutionalized U.S. general population (response rate 71.7 %). PARTICIPANTS: Adult ambulatory care users in the public use data file who did not obtain emergency or inpatient services (n? = 17,266). MAIN MEASURES: Measurements included respondents' alcohol consumption, heavy episodic drinking, alcohol use disorder, healthcare use, and receipt of alcohol-related interventions. KEY RESULTS: Approximately 71.1 % of ambulatory care users received an alcohol assessment. Among past-month heavy episodic drinkers without an alcohol use disorder who reported receiving an alcohol assessment, 4.4 % were advised to cut back. Among individuals with alcohol abuse and alcohol dependence who reported receiving an alcohol assessment, 2.9 % and 7.0 %, respectively, were offered information about treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Rates of alcohol screening and assessment were relatively high among adults who attended healthcare visits, but rates of intervention were low, even when individuals were assessed for use. Efforts are needed to expand delivery of interventions when patients are identified as positive for risky drinking, hazardous alcohol use, and alcohol use disorders during ambulatory care visits.





Questions about the HSR website? Email the Web Team

Any health information on this website is strictly for informational purposes and is not intended as medical advice. It should not be used to diagnose or treat any condition.