Relationship Between Primary Care Providers' Perceptions of Alcohol Use Disorder And Pharmacotherapy Prescribing Rates.

AIMS: Acamprosate, naltrexone and disulfiram are underprescribed for alcohol use disorder (AUD) with marked variability among primary care providers (PCPs). We aimed to identify differences between high and low prescribers of medications for AUD (MAUD) with regard to knowledge, experiences, prioritization and attitudes. METHODS: We surveyed PCPs from a large healthcare system with at least 20 patients with AUD. Prescribing rates were obtained from the electronic health record (EHR). Survey responses were scored from strongly disagree (1) to strongly agree (5). Multiple imputation was used to generate attitude scores for 7 missing subjects. PCPs were divided into groups by the median prescribing rate and attitude. Comparisons were made using Wilcoxon rank-sum and regression. RESULTS: Of the 182 eligible PCPs, 68 (37.4%) completed the survey. Most indicated willingness to attend an educational course (57.4%). Compared with low prescribers, high prescribers viewed the effectiveness of medications more favorably (short term 4.0 vs 3.7, P = 0.02; long term 3.5 vs 3.2, P = 0.04) and were more likely to view prescribing as part of their job (3.9 vs 3.4, P = 0.04). PCPs with positive attitudes (72.4%, CI 60.9-83.8%) had a prescribing rate of 5.0% (CI 3.5-6.5%) compared to 1.9% (CI 0.5-3.4%) among those with negative attitudes (P = 0.028). When stratified by attitude, belief in effectiveness was associated with higher prescribing among PCPs with positive attitudes but not those with negative attitudes. CONCLUSIONS: PCPs indicated an interest in learning to prescribe MAUD. However, education alone may not be effective unless physicians have positive attitudes towards patients with AUD.

Characterizing the Variation of Alcohol Cessation Pharmacotherapy in Primary Care.

BACKGROUND: Alcohol use disorder (AUD) imposes a high mortality and economic burden. Effective treatment is available, though underutilized. OBJECTIVE: Describe trends in AUD pharmacotherapy, variation in prescribing, and associated patient factors. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort using electronic health records from 2010 to 2019. PARTICIPANTS: Primary care patients from 39 clinics in Ohio and Florida with diagnostic codes for alcohol dependence or abuse plus social history indicating alcohol use. PCPs in family or internal medicine with at least 20 AUD patients. MAIN MEASURES: Pharmacotherapy for AUD (naltrexone, acamprosate, and disulfiram), abstinence from alcohol, patient demographics, and comorbidities. Generalized linear mixed models were used to identify patient factors associated with prescriptions and the association of pharmacotherapy with abstinence. KEY RESULTS: We identified 13,250 patients; average age was 54 years, 66.9% were male, 75.0% were White, and median household income was $51,776 per year. Over 10 years, the prescription rate rose from 4.4 to 5.6%. Patients who were Black (aOR 0.74; 95% CI 0.58, 0.94) and insured by Medicare versus commercial insurance (aOR 0.61; 95% CI 0.48, 0.78) were less likely to be treated. Higher median household income ($10,000 increment, aOR 1.06; 95% CI 1.03, 1.10) and Medicaid versus commercial insurance (aOR 1.52; 95% CI 1.24, 1.87) were associated with treatment. Receiving pharmacotherapy was associated with subsequent documented abstinence from alcohol (aOR 1.60; 95% CI 1.33, 1.92). We identified 236 PCPs. The average prescription rate was 3.6% (range 0 to 24%). The top decile prescribed to 14.6% of their patients. The bottom 4 deciles had no prescriptions. Family physicians had higher rates of pharmacotherapy than internists (OR 1.50; 95% CI 1.21, 1.85). CONCLUSIONS: Medications for AUD are infrequently prescribed, but there is considerable variation among PCPs. Increasing the use of pharmacotherapy by non-prescribers may increase abstinence from alcohol.

Reported Risky Alcohol Use Among US Adults Prescribed 3 Classes of Chronic Alcohol-Interactive Medications.

This study uses data from the 2013­March 2020 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey to assess contemporary patterns of risky alcohol use among adults taking high-risk alcohol-interactive medications (benzodiazepine receptor agonists, opioids, and antiepileptics).

Trends in marijuana and heavy alcohol use by cigarette smoking status among US adults: An analysis of the 2002-2019 NSDUH.

BACKGROUND: Polysubstance use is associated with adverse health outcomes, yet little research has measured changes in polysubstance use. We aimed to 1) estimate trends in marijuana and heavy alcohol use by cigarette smoking and demographic subgroups, and 2) examine patient factors associated with concurrent use among adults who were smoking. METHODS: We conducted a repeated cross-sectional analysis of 687,225 non-institutionalized US adults ≥18 years from the 2002-2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Participants were stratified into current, former, and never smoking groups. Main outcomes were prevalence of heavy alcohol use, marijuana use, and concurrent use of both substances. RESULTS: From 2002-2019, heavy alcohol use declined from 7.8 % to 6.4 %, marijuana use rose from 6.0 % to 11.8 %, and concurrent use of alcohol and marijuana remained stable. Among adults who were smoking from 2005 to 2019, higher education was associated with higher odds of heavy alcohol use, while older ages, female gender, non-White race/ethnicity, and government-provided health insurance were associated with lower odds. The odds of marijuana use decreased in females, older ages, and higher incomes while increasing in people with poorer health status, higher education, government-provided or no health insurance, and serious mental illness. Compared to White adults who were smoking, Black counterparts had higher odds of marijuana use (OR=1.23; 95 %CI: 1.15-1.29), while Hispanic (OR=0.68; 95 %CI: 0.63-0.72) and other racial/ethnic identities (OR=0.83; 95 %CI: 0.77-0.90) had lower odds. CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggests marijuana use might not be sensitive to changes in the use of tobacco and alcohol.

Outcomes After Initiation of Medications for Alcohol Use Disorder at Hospital Discharge.

Importance: US Food and Drug Administration-approved medications for alcohol use disorder (MAUD) are significantly underused. Hospitalizations may provide an unmet opportunity to initiate MAUD, but few studies have examined clinical outcomes of patients who initiate these medications at hospital discharge. Objective: To investigate the association between discharge MAUD initiation and 30-day posthospitalization outcomes. Design, Setting, and Participants: This cohort study was conducted among patients with Medicare Part D who had alcohol-related hospitalizations in 2016. Data were analyzed from October 2022 to December 2023. Exposures: Discharge MAUD initiation was defined as oral naltrexone, acamprosate, or disulfiram pharmacy fills within 2 days of discharge. Main outcomes: The primary outcome was a composite of all-cause mortality or return to hospital (emergency department visits and hospital readmissions) within 30 days of discharge. Secondary outcomes included these components separately, return to hospital for alcohol-related diagnoses, and primary care or mental health follow-up within 30 days of discharge. Propensity score 3:1 matching and modified Poisson regressions were used to compare outcomes between patients who received and did not receive discharge MAUD. Results: There were 6794 unique individuals representing 9834 alcohol-related hospitalizations (median [IQR] age, 54 [46-62] years; 3205 hospitalizations among females [32.6%]; 1754 hospitalizations among Black [17.8%], 712 hospitalizations among Hispanic [7.2%], and 7060 hospitalizations among White [71.8%] patients). Of these, 192 hospitalizations (2.0%) involved discharge MAUD initiation. After propensity matching, discharge MAUD initiation was associated with a 42% decreased incidence of the primary outcome (incident rate ratio, 0.58 [95% CI, 0.45 to 0.76]; absolute risk difference, -0.18 [95% CI, -0.26 to -0.11]). These findings were consistent among secondary outcomes (eg, incident rate ratio for all-cause return to hospital, 0.56 [95% CI, 0.43 to 0.73]) except for mortality, which was rare in both groups (incident rate ratio, 3.00 [95% CI, 0.42 to 21.22]). Discharge MAUD initiation was associated with a 51% decreased incidence of alcohol-related return to hospital (incident rate ratio, 0.49 [95% CI, 0.34 to 0.71]; absolute risk difference, -0.15 [95% CI, -0.22 to -0.09]). Conclusion and relevance: In this cohort study, discharge initiation of MAUD after alcohol-related hospitalization was associated with a large absolute reduction in return to hospital within 30 days. These findings support efforts to increase uptake of MAUD initiation at hospital discharge.

Correlates of post-hospitalization naltrexone adherence for alcohol use disorder.

INTRODUCTION: Hospitalizations present an opportunity to initiate naltrexone for patients with alcohol use disorder (AUD). Understanding factors associated with post-hospitalization adherence could inform practice. METHODS: This study is a secondary analysis of a clinical trial in which patients with AUD were randomized to oral (PO) versus long-acting injectable (LAI) naltrexone at hospital discharge. The outcome of this secondary analysis was naltrexone adherence 3 months after discharge, defined as receipt of at least 2 out of 3 monthly injections or the equivalent days of self-reported PO medication use (60 out of 90). We used baseline socio-demographics, substance use history, health status, healthcare utilization, and randomization arm to construct multivariable logistic regression models to identify correlates of adherence. RESULTS: We evaluated patients who initiated naltrexone treatment, 124 randomized to PO and 120 to LAI (overall mean age 49 years, 80 % male, 51 % Black, 47 % unhoused, and 91 % with severe AUD). At 3 months, 50 % of patients were adherent. LAI naltrexone (aOR 3.88; 95 % CI 2.17-7.13), recent office visit (aOR 2.01; 95 % CI 1.10-3.72), and age (aOR per 10-year increase 1.37; 95 % CI 1.02-1.88) were associated with increased odds of adherence. Unhoused status (aOR 0.54; 95 % CI 0.30-0.98) and cocaine use (aOR 0.35; 95 % CI 0.17-0.71) were associated with decreased odds of adherence. CONCLUSIONS: LAI naltrexone for AUD at hospital discharge was associated with better adherence at 3 months vs PO. Access to LAI naltrexone and targeted interventions for patients with cocaine use or who are unhoused hold potential to improve naltrexone adherence.

Tobacco-Related Disease, Health Beliefs, and Post-hospital Tobacco Abstinence.

INTRODUCTION: Most hospitalized patients who smoke resume after discharge. Associations of tobacco-related disease and health beliefs with post-hospitalization abstinence were examined. METHODS: This was a cohort study using data from a 2018-2020 multicenter trial of hospitalized adults who smoked and wanted to quit. Tobacco-related disease was defined using primary discharge diagnosis codes. Baseline health beliefs included (1) smoking caused hospitalization, (2) quitting speeds recovery, and (3) quitting prevents future illness. Outcomes included self-reported 7-day point prevalence abstinence 1, 3, and 6 months after discharge. Separate logistic regression models for each of the three health beliefs were constructed. Models stratified by tobacco-related disease explored effect modification. Analysis was performed in 2022-2023. RESULTS: Of 1,406 participants (mean age 52 years, 56% females, 77% non-Hispanic White), 31% had tobacco-related disease, 42% believed that smoking caused hospitalization, 68% believed that quitting speeds recovery, and 82% believed that quitting prevents future illness. Tobacco-related disease was associated with higher 1-month point prevalence abstinence in each health belief model (AOR=1.55, 95% CI=1.15, 2.10; 1.53, 95% CI=1.14, 2.05; and 1.64, 95% CI=1.24, 2.19, respectively) and higher 6-month point prevalence abstinence in models including health beliefs 2 and 3. Quitting speeds recovery was the only belief associated with higher 1-month point prevalence abstinence (AOR=1.39, 95% CI=1.05, 1.85). Among patients with tobacco-related disease, the belief that quitting prevents future illness was associated with higher 1-month point prevalence abstinence (AOR=2.00, 95% CI=1.06, 3.78). CONCLUSIONS: Tobacco-related disease predicts abstinence 1 and 6 months after hospitalization independent of health beliefs. Beliefs that quitting speeds recovery and prevents future illness may serve as targets for smoking-cessation interventions.

Impact of an Electronic Medical Record Alert on Code Status Documentation for Hospitalized Patients With Advanced Cancer.

PURPOSE: Cardiopulmonary resuscitation in hospitalized patients with advanced cancer is associated with high rates of morbidity and mortality. Although advance care planning (ACP) in this population improves quality, patient satisfaction, hospice use, rates of harm, and health care costs, ACP documentation rates remain low. We observed changes in ACP documentation by internal medicine residents within a tertiary hospital's inpatient oncology service after a mandatory training module and enterprise-wide modification in electronic health medical records (EHMR). METHODS: For patients admitted to the Cleveland Clinic oncology service, this 16-week retrospective review observed resident code status (CS) documentation through admission notes and direct EHMR orders before and after implementation of an ACP training module and CS best practice alert (BPA). In addition, residents were surveyed on perceived barriers to CS documentation. RESULTS: In 535 unique admissions (244 before BPA, 291 after BPA), residents exhibited a 14.4% increase (from 47.1% to 61.5%) in admission note CS documentation and an 18.2% increase (from 12.7% to 30.9%) in CS orders at time of discharge. The most common self-reported barrier to ACP documentation was forgetting to discuss, with first-, second-, and third-year residents admitting to feeling uncomfortable in orchestrating ACP conversations at rates of 58%, 6%, and 5%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Resident ACP documentation remains suboptimal in the high-risk cohort of hospitalized patients with advanced cancer. However, rates seem to be positively influenced by online modules and EHMR-based interventions. Additional efforts to improve the current practice and culture of ACP remain a crucial aspect in the quality and safety of our approach to patient care.

San Antonio refugees: Their demographics, healthcare profiles, and how to better serve them.

OBJECTIVE: The recent refugee crisis has resulted in the largest burden of displacement in history, with the US being the top resettlement country since 1975. Texas welcomed the second most US-bound refugees in 2016, with a large percentage arriving in San Antonio. Yet, the composition of the San Antonio refugees has not been described and their healthcare needs remain ill-defined. Through this study, we aim at elucidating their demographics and healthcare profiles, with the goal of devising recommendations to help guide refugee program development and guide other refugee resettlement programs. METHODS: Data from 731 charts belonging to 448 patients at the San Antonio Refugee Health Clinic (SARHC) were extracted and analyzed. Data included age, gender, country of origin, first language, interpretation need, health insurance status, medical history, vital signs, diagnoses, and prescribed medications. RESULTS: Women constituted the majority of patients (n = 267; 56.4%), and the median age of all patients was 39 (Q1:26, Q3:52). Nepali-speaking Bhutanese patients were the most represented group (n = 107, 43.1%), followed by Iraqi (n = 35, 14.1%), Burmese (n = 30, 12.1%), and Iranian (n = 19, 7.7%) refugees. Of those who responded, 200 (86.6%) did not have any form of health insurance. Additionally, 262 (50.9%) had a body-mass index (BMI) in the overweight or obese range. Further, 61.4% (n = 337) had blood pressures in the hypertensive range, while 9.3% (n = 51) had an elevated blood pressure. On average, each patient had 1.9 complaints, with abdominal pain, headaches, and cough being the predominant complaints. Allergic rhinitis, viral upper respiratory infections, and elevated blood pressure were the most common diagnoses. However, the list of common diagnoses differed per country of origin. CONCLUSION: The SARHC demographics were different from those of other Texas refugees. The rate of the uninsured and the burden of non-communicable diseases were high. Furthermore, each refugee subgroup had a different set of common problems. These findings reveal important considerations for refugee healthcare providers and the unique approach that may be required for different communities.