AimIn 2007, the legal obligation to deliver alcohol treatment to the public was transferred to the 98 municipalities of Denmark. This resulted in changes in how alcohol treatment centers in Denmark work. The aim of the present study was to describe the patient profiles and treatment outcomes in the alcohol treatment centers regarding regional variation and changes over time.Subjects and methodsThis is a descriptive, register-based study of patients enrolled in alcohol treatment centers from 2006–2014 in Denmark. Only patients above the age of 15 years and with a valid postal code were included. The sample was restricted to the patients’ first contact with the alcohol treatment register (n = 44,516).ResultsPatients who initiated treatment in the period 2006–2014 and were registered in the National Alcohol Treatment Register were primarily males (69–70%) with an average age between 46 and 49 years. Most had a vocational education (38–41%) on top of their primary education. The number of years with excessive alcohol use started out as being quite different in the five regions, but became more homogeneous over the study period. Treatment duration in the various regions followed a similar pattern, with all five of them having a similar treatment duration time of 160–230 days by 2014.ConclusionWe found that treatment for alcohol use disorder became more homogeneous across the regions in Denmark over time and that by 2014 it was difficult to identify any differences across the country.
BackgroundA large proportion of the Danish population consumes more than the officially recommended weekly amount of alcohol. Untreated alcohol use disorders lead to frequent contacts with the health care system and can be associated with considerable human and societal costs. However, only a small share of those with alcohol use disorders receives treatment. A referral model to ensure treatment for alcohol dependent patients after discharge is needed. This study evaluates the i) cost-effectiveness ii) efficacy and iii) overall impact on societal costs of the proposed referral model - The Relay Model.Method/DesignThe study is a single-blind pragmatic randomized controlled trial including patients admitted to the hospital. The study group (n = 500) will receive an intervention, and the control group (n = 500) will be referred to treatment by usual procedures. All patients complete a lifestyle questionnaire with the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test embedded as a case identification strategy. The primary outcome of the study will be health care expenditures 12 months after discharge. The secondary outcome will be the percentage of the target group, who 30 days after discharge, reports at the alcohol treatment clinics. In order to analyse both outcomes, difference-in-difference models will be used.DiscussionWe expect to establish evidence as to whether The Relay Model is either cost-neutral or cost-effective, compared to referral by usual procedures.Trial registrationhttps://register.clinicaltrials.gov/by identifier:RESCueH_Relay NCT02188043 Project Relay Model for Recruiting Alcohol Dependent Patients in General Hospitals (TRN Registration: 07/09/2014)
Background In the present study, we investigated the overall lifestyles of patients with hazardous alcohol use and alcohol dependence who were admitted to the hospital and investigated unhealthy lifestyle factors and their clustering in inpatients. Methods Patients admitted to the gastrointestinal, neurologic or orthopedic departments at Odense University Hospital or to the emergency department at Aabenraa Hospital in the inclusion period, October 2013 to June 2016, completed a lifestyle questionnaire asking questions about their diet, alcohol consumption, exercise and smoking habits. Patients were divided into three groups depending on their score from the alcohol use disorder identification test, which was embedded in the lifestyle questionnaire, and odds ratios were calculated using logistic regression. Results Patients with alcohol dependence had statistically significantly higher odds of being smokers, having unhealthy diets and being physically inactive compared with patients without alcohol problems. Among patients with hazardous alcohol drinking, we found an increased occurrence of smokers and an inverse association between hazardous alcohol drinking and being physically inactive. Many of the patients had attempted to change their unhealthy lifestyles. Conclusion We found that alcohol problems are related to a clustering of other lifestyle factors and that many of the patients admitted to certain departments showed signs of various kinds of alcohol problems. Therefore, specific hospital departments could be opportune settings for preventive alcohol interventions.
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