Interventions to Reduce Hospital and Emergency Department Utilization Among People With Alcohol and Substance Use Disorders

A Scoping Review

Bibliographic Data

ID9104627
AuthorsRebekah L Gardner (Department of Medicine, Alpert Medical School of Brown University, corresponding author), Rosa R Baier (0000-0002-0284-1749, Center for Long-Term Care Quality & Innovation), Emily L Cooper (Healthcentric Advisors), Erin E Clements (Public Health Program, Brown University School of Public Health), Emmanuelle Bélanger (0000-0001-7301-0451, Department of Health Services, Policy & Practice, Brown University School of Public Health, Providence, RI)
Year2022
Volume60
Issue2
Pages164-177
Publication date2022-02-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueMedical Care (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0025-7079 • E-ISSN: 1537-1948
PublisherOvid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1097/mlr.0000000000001676
PMID34908009
OpenAlexW4200114659
LanguageEN
References cited63

BACKGROUND: Substance use disorders (SUDs), prevalent worldwide, are associated with significant morbidity and health care utilization. OBJECTIVES: To identify interventions addressing hospital and emergency department utilization among people with substance use, to summarize findings for those seeking to implement such interventions, and to articulate gaps that can be addressed by future research. RESEARCH DESIGN: A scoping review of the literature. We searched PubMed, PsycInfo, and Google Scholar for any articles published from January 2010 to June 2020. The main search terms included the target population of adults with substance use or SUDs, the outcomes of hospital and emergency department utilization, and interventions aimed at improving these outcomes in the target population. SUBJECTS: Adults with substance use or SUDs, including alcohol use. MEASURES: Hospital and emergency department utilization. RESULTS: Our initial search identified 1807 titles, from which 44 articles were included in the review. Most interventions were implemented in the United States (n=35). Half focused on people using any substance (n=22) and a quarter on opioids (n=12). The tested approaches varied and included postdischarge services, medications, legislation, and counseling, among others. The majority of study designs were retrospective cohort studies (n=31). CONCLUSIONS: Overall, we found few studies assessing interventions to reduce health care utilization among people with SUDs. The studies that we did identify differed across multiple domains and included few randomized trials. Study heterogeneity limits our ability to compare interventions or to recommend one specific approach to reducing health care utilization among this high-risk population

Alcohol use disorder · Brief intervention · Emergency department · Health care · MEDLINE · Psychological intervention · Randomized controlled trial · Substance use · Alcoholism and Thiamine Deficiency · Opioid Use Disorder Treatment · Substance Abuse Treatment and Outcomes