National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report
Latest available findings on quality of and access to health care
Data
- Data Infographics
- Data Visualizations
- Data Tools
- Data Innovations
- All-Payer Claims Database
- Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP)
- Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS)
- AHRQ Quality Indicator Tools for Data Analytics
- State Snapshots
- United States Health Information Knowledgebase (USHIK)
- Data Sources Available from AHRQ
Search All Research Studies
AHRQ Research Studies Date
Topics
- (-) Alcohol Use (13)
- Ambulatory Care and Surgery (1)
- Behavioral Health (5)
- Clinician-Patient Communication (1)
- Communication (1)
- Elderly (1)
- Emergency Department (1)
- Evidence-Based Practice (1)
- Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) (1)
- Healthcare Costs (1)
- Health Status (1)
- Hospitalization (2)
- Hospital Readmissions (2)
- Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) (1)
- Intensive Care Unit (ICU) (1)
- Lifestyle Changes (2)
- Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) (1)
- Medication (1)
- Nutrition (1)
- Patient-Centered Healthcare (1)
- Patient-Centered Outcomes Research (1)
- Prevention (1)
- Primary Care (3)
- Screening (2)
- Substance Abuse (8)
- Treatments (1)
- Young Adults (1)
AHRQ Research Studies
Sign up: AHRQ Research Studies Email updates
Research Studies is a compilation of published research articles funded by AHRQ or authored by AHRQ researchers.
Results
1 to 13 of 13 Research Studies DisplayedMcPheeters M, O'Connor EA, Riley S
Pharmacotherapy for alcohol use disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Researchers conducted a literature review and analysis to compare efficacy of therapies for alcohol use disorder. Their findings supported the use of oral naltrexone at 50 mg/d and acamprosate as first-line pharmacotherapies in conjunction with psychosocial interventions for treating alcohol use disorder.
AHRQ-funded; 75Q80120D00007.
Citation: McPheeters M, O'Connor EA, Riley S .
Pharmacotherapy for alcohol use disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
JAMA 2023 Nov 7; 330(17):1653-65. doi: 10.1001/jama.2023.19761..
Keywords: Medication, Alcohol Use, Evidence-Based Practice, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research
Lee AK, Bobb JF, Richards JE
Integrating alcohol-related prevention and treatment into primary care: a cluster randomized implementation trial.
This study’s goal was to evaluate an implementation intervention to increase (1) population-based alcohol-related prevention with brief interventions and (2) treatment of alcohol use disorder (AUD) in primary care implemented with a broader program of behavioral health integration. This stepped-wedge cluster randomized trial called the Sustained Patient-Centered Alcohol-Related Care (SPARC) trial included 22 primary care practices in an integrated health system in Washington state. Participants consisted of all adult patients 18 years or older with primary care visits from January 2015 to July 2018. The study included 7 waves, with practices randomly assigned launch dates. A total of 333,596 patients visited primary care (mean age, 48 years; 193,583 [58%] female; 234,764 [70%] White individuals). The proportion of patients with brief intervention was higher during SPARC intervention than usual care periods (57 vs 11 per 10,000 patients per month). The proportion with AUD treatment engagement did not differ during intervention and usual care. However, it did increase intermediate outcomes: screening (83.2% vs 20.8%), new AUD diagnosis (33.8 vs 28.8 per 10,000), and treatment initiation (7.8 vs 6.2 per 10,000).
AHRQ-funded; HS023173.
Citation: Lee AK, Bobb JF, Richards JE .
Integrating alcohol-related prevention and treatment into primary care: a cluster randomized implementation trial.
JAMA Intern Med 2023 Apr;183(4):319-28. doi: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2022.7083.
Keywords: Alcohol Use, Substance Abuse, Behavioral Health, Primary Care, Patient-Centered Healthcare
Alexandre W, Muhammad H, Agbalajobi O
Alcohol treatment discussions and clinical outcomes among patients with alcohol-related cirrhosis.
The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships between medical dialogues concerning alcohol use disorder (AUD) treatment, AUD treatment engagement, and mortality rates. The retrospective cohort study encompassed all patients diagnosed with cirrhosis and AUD receiving hepatology care within a single healthcare system in 2015. Baseline data on demographics, medical history, liver disease, and AUD treatment were examined. Information on AUD treatment discussions, initiation, alcohol cessation, and the subsequent 5-year mortality rates was gathered. Out of 436 patients with alcohol-related cirrhosis, 15% received AUD treatment at baseline, with 11% undergoing behavioral therapy, 2% receiving pharmacotherapy, and 1% obtaining both. Within the first year after the initial hepatology visit, 37 patients had AUD treatment, 51 remained in treatment, and 14 discontinued. Hepatology-documented AUD treatment recommendations were provided to 30% of patients, while 26% received primary care-documented recommendations. The majority of hepatology (86%) and primary care (88%) recommendations focused on behavioral therapy. Among patients with persistent alcohol use at baseline, AUD treatment after one year was significantly and independently associated with hepatology or primary care treatment discussions, and negatively associated with Medicaid insurance. When treatment discussions occurred in both settings, high treatment rates followed. Over five years, 35% of patients died. Ongoing alcohol use, age, hepatic decompensation, and hepatocellular carcinoma significantly contributed to mortality in the final survival model. In patients with alcohol-related cirrhosis, AUD treatment discussions were documented in fewer than half of hepatology and primary care encounters; however, such discussions were significantly correlated with AUD treatment receipt.
AHRQ-funded; HS019461.
Citation: Alexandre W, Muhammad H, Agbalajobi O .
Alcohol treatment discussions and clinical outcomes among patients with alcohol-related cirrhosis.
BMC Gastroenterol 2023 Feb 2; 23(1):29. doi: 10.1186/s12876-023-02656-z..
Keywords: Alcohol Use, Substance Abuse, Behavioral Health, Clinician-Patient Communication, Communication
Cochran G, Field C, DiClemente C
Latent classes among recipients of a brief alcohol intervention: a replication analysis.
The purpose of this study was to identify differential improvement in alcohol use among injured patients following brief intervention. Increases in both clinical trials for days abstinent were reported by classes characterized by multiple risks and minimal risks. Decreases in volume consumed for both studies were also reported by classes characterized by multiple risks and minimal risks.
AHRQ-funded; HS021394.
Citation: Cochran G, Field C, DiClemente C .
Latent classes among recipients of a brief alcohol intervention: a replication analysis.
Behav Med 2016;42(1):29-38. doi: 10.1080/08964289.2014.951305.
.
.
Keywords: Alcohol Use, Substance Abuse, Behavioral Health, Treatments
Bradley KA, Lapham GT
Is it time for a more ambitious research agenda for decreasing alcohol-related harm among young adults?
The authors commented that brief motivational interviewing-based interventions could probably impact drinking at the population level. They noted that there is a critical need to develop and test more effective interventions and recommended that the public health approach to preventing alcohol-related harm among young adults include known effective approaches, including those that decrease alcohol use by reducing the availability of alcohol.
AHRQ-funded; HS023173.
Citation: Bradley KA, Lapham GT .
Is it time for a more ambitious research agenda for decreasing alcohol-related harm among young adults?
Addiction 2016 Sep;111(9):1531-2. doi: 10.1111/add.13235.
.
.
Keywords: Alcohol Use, Lifestyle Changes, Prevention, Substance Abuse, Young Adults
Clark BJ, Rubinsky AD, Ho PM
Alcohol screening scores and the risk of intensive care unit admission and hospital readmission.
This study sought to determine whether alcohol misuse was associated with admission to an intensive care unit (ICU) among patients receiving outpatient care. Among 486,115 veterans receiving outpatient care, the adjusted probability of ICU admission within 1 year was 2.0 percent for abstinent patients, 1.6 percent for patients with lower-risk alcohol use, 1.8 percent for patients with moderate alcohol misuse, and 2.5 percent for patients with severe alcohol misuse.
AHRQ-funded; HS022800.
Citation: Clark BJ, Rubinsky AD, Ho PM .
Alcohol screening scores and the risk of intensive care unit admission and hospital readmission.
Subst Abus 2016 Jul-Sep;37(3):466-73. doi: 10.1080/08897077.2015.1137259.
.
.
Keywords: Alcohol Use, Hospital Readmissions, Intensive Care Unit (ICU), Ambulatory Care and Surgery, Screening, Substance Abuse
Chavez LJ, Williams EC, Lapham GT
Changes in patient-reported alcohol-related advice following veterans health administration implementation of brief alcohol interventions.
The researchers examined whether an independent measure of brief interventions-patient-reported alcohol-related advice-also increased among VA outpatients who screened positive for alcohol misuse on a mailed survey. They found that among patients with alcohol misuse, the adjusted prevalence of alcohol-related advice increased from 40.4% in 2007 to 55.5% in 2011. Rates of alcohol-related advice increased significantly each year except the last.
AHRQ-funded; HS022800.
Citation: Chavez LJ, Williams EC, Lapham GT .
Changes in patient-reported alcohol-related advice following veterans health administration implementation of brief alcohol interventions.
J Stud Alcohol Drugs 2016 May;77(3):500-8.
.
.
Keywords: Alcohol Use, Behavioral Health, Primary Care, Substance Abuse
Heslin KC, Elixhauser A, Steiner CA
AHRQ Author: Heslin KC, Elixhauser A, Steiner CA
Identifying in-patient costs attributable to the clinical sequelae and comorbidities of alcoholic liver disease in a national hospital database.
The aim of this study was to compare the average costs of hospitalizations with alcoholic liver disease (ALD) and the costs of hospitalizations with other alcohol-related diagnoses that do not involve the liver. It found that costs of hospital care for patients with ALD are higher than those for patients with other alcohol-related diagnoses.
AHRQ-authored.
Citation: Heslin KC, Elixhauser A, Steiner CA .
Identifying in-patient costs attributable to the clinical sequelae and comorbidities of alcoholic liver disease in a national hospital database.
Addiction 2016 May;112(5):782-91. doi: 10.1111/add.13702.
.
.
Keywords: Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP), Alcohol Use, Healthcare Costs, Nutrition, Hospitalization
Chavez LJ, Bradley K, Tefft N
Preference weights for the spectrum of alcohol use in the U.S. population.
One barrier to research has been the lack of preference weights needed to calculate Quality Adjusted Life Years (QALYs). Preference weights can be estimated from measures of health-related quality of life (HRQOL). The objective of this study was to describe preference weights for the full spectrum of alcohol use. It concluded that self-reported alcohol consumption may not be associated with preference weights.
AHRQ-funded; HS022800.
Citation: Chavez LJ, Bradley K, Tefft N .
Preference weights for the spectrum of alcohol use in the U.S. population.
Drug Alcohol Depend 2016 Apr 1;161:206-13. doi: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2016.02.004.
.
.
Keywords: Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS), Alcohol Use, Substance Abuse, Health Status
Rentsch C, Tate JP, Akgun KM
Alcohol-related diagnoses and all-cause hospitalization among HIV-infected and uninfected patients: a longitudinal analysis of United States veterans from 1997 to 2011.
From 1997 to 2011, 46,428 HIV-infected and 93,997 uninfected patients were followed for 1,497,536 person-years. Overall hospitalization rates decreased among HIV-infected and uninfected patients. However, cardiovascular and renal insufficiency admissions increased for all groups while gastrointestinal and liver, endocrine, neurologic, and non-AIDS cancer admissions increased among those with an alcohol-related diagnosis.
AHRQ-funded; HS018372.
Citation: Rentsch C, Tate JP, Akgun KM .
Alcohol-related diagnoses and all-cause hospitalization among HIV-infected and uninfected patients: a longitudinal analysis of United States veterans from 1997 to 2011.
AIDS Behav 2016 Mar;20(3):555-64. doi: 10.1007/s10461-015-1025-y.
.
.
Keywords: Alcohol Use, Hospitalization, Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)
Liu L, Strawderman RL, Johnson BA
Analyzing repeated measures semi-continuous data, with application to an alcohol dependence study.
The authors reviewed and considered three extensions of two-part random effects models. They compared the performance through applications to daily drinking records in a secondary data analysis from a randomized controlled trial of topiramate for alcohol dependence treatment. They found that all three models provide a significantly better fit than the log-normal model, and there exists strong evidence for heteroscedasticity.
AHRQ-funded; HS020263.
Citation: Liu L, Strawderman RL, Johnson BA .
Analyzing repeated measures semi-continuous data, with application to an alcohol dependence study.
Stat Methods Med Res 2016 Feb;25(1):133-52. doi: 10.1177/0962280212443324.
.
.
Keywords: Alcohol Use, Behavioral Health, Substance Abuse
Williams EC, Achtmeyer CE, Young JP
Local implementation of alcohol screening and brief intervention at five Veterans Health Administration primary care clinics: Perspectives of clinical and administrative staff.
The researchers conducted a qualitative key informant study to describe local implementation of alcohol screening and brief intervention from the perspectives of frontline adopters in VA primary care . Findings suggest that the local process of implementing alcohol screening and brief intervention may have inadequately addressed important adopter needs.
AHRQ-funded; HS022800.
Citation: Williams EC, Achtmeyer CE, Young JP .
Local implementation of alcohol screening and brief intervention at five Veterans Health Administration primary care clinics: Perspectives of clinical and administrative staff.
J Subst Abuse Treat 2016 Jan;60:27-35. doi: 10.1016/j.jsat.2015.07.011.
.
.
Keywords: Alcohol Use, Screening, Primary Care
Chavez LJ, Liu CF, Tefft N
Unhealthy alcohol use in older adults: association with readmissions and emergency department use in the 30 days after hospital discharge.
This study examined the association between AUDIT-C alcohol screening results and 30-day readmissions or ED visits. Alcohol screening results indicating high-risk drinking that were available in medical records were modestly associated with risk for 30-day readmissions and were not associated with risk for ED visits.
AHRQ-funded; HS022800.
Citation: Chavez LJ, Liu CF, Tefft N .
Unhealthy alcohol use in older adults: association with readmissions and emergency department use in the 30 days after hospital discharge.
Drug Alcohol Depend 2016 Jan;158:94-101. doi: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2015.11.008.
.
.
Keywords: Alcohol Use, Elderly, Emergency Department, Hospital Readmissions, Lifestyle Changes