Alcohol abuse: comparison of two methods for assessing its prevalence and associated morbidity in hospitalized patients.

PURPOSE: To evaluate two methods for assessing the prevalence of alcohol abuse in hospitalized patients based upon scores on standardized alcoholism screening instruments compared with diagnostic discharge data, and to determine the risk for comorbid conditions in patients who abuse alcohol. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Of 2,534 consecutive patients admitted to five adult inpatient services of an academic center, 1,964 were screened for alcohol abuse using the CAGE and the SMAST. Their discharge diagnoses were obtained and analyzed for the presence of alcohol-related diagnoses and other comorbid conditions. RESULTS: A total of 1.4% of patients had a principal alcohol-related diagnosis (ARD), 6% had a secondary but no principal ARD, and 15% screened positive for alcohol abuse but had no ARD. The overall prevalence of alcohol abuse was 22.4%. Patients with a principal ARD had a higher risk for dementia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), pancreatitis, sequelae of liver disease, and illegal drug abuse. Patients with a secondary ARD were at risk for 19 comorbid conditions, including pancreatitis, injury, pneumonia, COPD, and poly-drug abuse. Patients who screened positive for alcohol abuse but had no ARD were significantly more likely to have a diagnosis of hypertension, arrhythmia, breast cancer, or pelvic inflammatory disease. CONCLUSION: Discharge diagnoses alone markedly underestimate the prevalence of alcohol abuse in hospitalized patients. Patients from the three groups are at higher risk for comorbid conditions, and secondary prevention of alcohol abuse can be achieved by routinely screening every patient using recognized alcoholism screening instruments.

Broad beneficial effects of cocaine abstinence reinforcement among methadone patients.

Escalating reinforcement for sustained abstinence has been effective in treating cocaine abuse. Under this schedule, patients receive vouchers for cocaine-free urine samples; vouchers have monetary values that increase with the number of consecutive cocaine-free urine samples. Cocaine-abusing methadone patients were randomly assigned to receive vouchers for 12 weeks under (a) an escalating schedule (n = 20), (b) an escalating schedule with start-up bonuses (n = 20), or (c) a noncontingent schedule (n = 19). Start-up bonuses were designed to provide added reinforcement for initiating abstinence; however, they did not improve outcomes. Both contingent interventions significantly increased cocaine abstinence. In addition, the contingent interventions increased abstinence from opiates and decreased reports of cocaine craving. These results replicate the efficacy of cocaine abstinence reinforcement and show that it can have broad beneficial effects.

Increasing opiate abstinence through voucher-based reinforcement therapy.

Heroin dependence remains a serious and costly public health problem, even in patients receiving methadone maintenance treatment. This study used a within-subject reversal design to assess the effectiveness of voucher-based abstinence reinforcement in reducing opiate use in patients receiving methadone maintenance treatment in an inner-city program. Throughout the study subjects received standard methadone maintenance treatment involving methadone, counseling, and urine monitoring (three times per week). Thirteen patients who continued to use opiates regularly during a 5-week baseline period were exposed to a 12-week program in which they received a voucher for each opiate-free urine sample provided: the vouchers had monetary values that increased as the number of consecutive opiate-free urines increased. Subjects continued receiving standard methadone maintenance for 8 weeks after discontinuation of the voucher program (return-to-baseline). Tukey's posthoc contrasts showed that the percentage of urine specimens that were positive for opiates decreased significantly when the voucher program was instituted. (P < or = 0.01) and then increased significantly when the voucher program was discontinued during the return-to-baseline condition (P < or = 0.01). Rates of opiate positive urines in the return-to-baseline condition remained significantly below the rates observed in the initial baseline period (P < or = 0.01). Overall, the study shows that voucher-based reinforcement contingencies can decrease opiate use in heroin dependent patients receiving methadone maintenance treatment.

Providing medical care to methadone clinic patients: referral vs on-site care.

OBJECTIVES: Intravenous drug users are at high risk for medical illness, yet many are medically underserved. Most methadone treatment programs have insufficient resources to provide medical care. The purpose of this study was to test the efficacy of providing medical care at a methadone clinic site vs referral to another site. METHODS: Patients with any of four target medical conditions were randomized into an on-site group offered medical care at the methadone treatment clinic and a referred group offered medical care at a nearby clinic. Entry to treatment and use of medical services were analyzed. RESULTS: Of 161 intravenous drug users evaluated, 75 (47%) had one or more of the target medical conditions. Fifty-one were randomized. In the on-site group (n = 25), 92% received medical treatment; in the referred group (n = 26), only 35% received treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Providing medical care at a methadone treatment program site is more effective than the usual referral procedure and is a valuable public health intervention.