Nurse-led interventions can help 40% of alcoholics to abstain from alcohol

Published: 14 May 2010

Regular information and advice sessions from alcohol specialist nurses could help 40% of dependent drinkers to give up alcohol altogether according to research presented today (13 May) at the Royal College of Nursing’s 2010 International Research Conference in Gateshead.

Dr Kathryn Cobain, Research Fellow at the University of Liverpool, found that after a series of interventions delivered using a motivational approach, 77% of participants reported reduced dependence on alcohol. Of the participants who completed the study , 40% reported total alcohol abstinence.

The six month study involved two-groups of 100 alcohol dependent adults from the North West of England. One group received brief interventions from an alcohol specialist nurse at the start of the study with up to six follow-up meetings at regular intervals during the next three months. The interventions included motivational questionnaires, advice, information and discussing patient feedback. The control group were only given a six month follow up appointment. None of this group had completely stopped drinking alcohol by the end of the trial compared with 40% of the group who met regularly with specialist nurses.

In 2008, there were over 9,000 alcohol-related deaths in the UK highlighting the need for effective action to help people to reduce their alcohol consumption.

Commenting on the study, Dr Cobain said:

“The study demonstrates just how useful interventions by alcohol specialist nurses can be in reducing alcohol dependence. It is a simple approach, but clearly works and should be considered as a treatment option for dependent drinkers.”

Dr Peter Carter, Chief Executive & General Secretary of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) said:

“This research adds to the growing bank of evidence showing the value nurses can provide in helping to reduce the harm caused by excessive drinking. The time nurses spend with patients provides a valuable window of opportunity to encourage people to think about whether they might be drinking too much and to signpost them to further information and advice. The RCN has accredited a training module to provide nurses with the skills they need to conduct the intervention.”

The 2010 RCN International Nursing Research Conference is taking place in Gateshead from 11th – 13th May 2010.

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Notes to Editors

Project abstract:

Efficacy of Brief Interventions delivered by nurses for dependent drinkers: A prospective cohort study
Kathryn Rosemary Cobain, Research and Devlopment/Primary Care, Liverpool Primary Care Trust, UK
Co-authors: L Owens; R Fitzgerald; I T Gilmore; M Pirmohamed

Abstract:

Objective: To establish if BI’s delivered to alcohol-dependent patients in an acute hospital setting are effective in reducing alcohol consumption and dependence.

Design: A prospective cohort control study.

Setting: Two acute NHS hospital trusts in the North West of England UK; one provided BI (university teaching hospital-test site) and the another which did not (district general hospital-control site).

Participants: Alcohol dependent patients aged ≥18 years were recruited; 100 from each site between March and September 2007.

Interventions: In the test site BI’ s were delivered at the time of initial assessment, with follow-up interventions at intervals of between one and four weeks, to a maximum of six interventions; all delivered by an Alcohol Specialist Nurse (ASN). The control site patients were given only a six-month follow-up appointment.

Main outcome measures: The primary outcome measures were alcohol consumption, Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), and severity of alcohol-dependence as measured by Severity of Alcohol Dependence Questionnaire (SADQ). Secondary outcome measures were length of stay in hospital and Emergency Department (ED) attendance.

Results: 100 patients were recruited at each of the test and control sites. There were no significant differences at baseline between groups for age, sex, alcohol consumption, severity of dependence or medical co-morbidity. At six months patients at the test site showed significantly improved primary outcome measures; a) alcohol consumption (p=0.0001), b) AUDIT score (p=0.0001) and c) SADQ score (p=0.0001). They also had significantly shorter length of stays (p=0.0001) and fewer ED visits (p=0.023). Outcomes were found to be independent of both baseline level of dependence and medical co-morbidity.

Conclusions: BI delivered by a dedicated ASN for non-treatment seeking alcohol dependent individuals are effective. Furthermore, the ED is an ideal setting for identification of, and implementation of treatment for alcohol-dependent patients, who although having significant medical co-morbidity responded well.