Testing Delivery Channels of Brief Motivational Alcohol Intervention

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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The aim of this study is to investigate whether motivation-tailored alcohol interventions are more effective when delivered by person or by computer-generated feedback letters. A sample of 920 general hospital inpatients with risky drinking will be recruited through a computerized screening procedure. Patients with more severe alcohol problems will be excluded from the study. Participants will be allocated by time frame randomization to one of three study arms: (1) personal counseling based on Motivational Interviewing, (2) computer-expert system intervention that generates individualized feedback-letters, and (3) control group (treatment-as-usual). The interventions differ in their channel of delivery, but not regarding their content. Both intervention groups receive interventions at three time points: directly after the baseline-assessment at the general hospital, and 1 and 3 months later by mail and phone, respectively. Outcome will be assessed six, 12, 18 and 24 months after baseline.

Official Title
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Testing Delivery Channels of Brief Motivational Alcohol Intervention Among General Hospital Inpatients With Risky Drinking: Personal Counseling Versus Computer-generated Feedback Letters

Conditions
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Hazardous Drinking

Intervention / Treatment
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* Behavioral: Personal Counseling
* Behavioral: Computer-generated feedback letters


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: General hospital inpatients with risky drinking (AUDIT-C >= 4/5 (women/men) and AUDIT < 20) Exclusion Criteria: Patients already recruited during an earlier hospital stay Patients physically and mentally not capable of participating in the study Patients with a hospital stay of less than 24 hours Patients with insufficient language/ reading skills Patients employed at one of the departments participating in the study or conducting the study Patients with more severe alcohol problems (AUDIT >= 20)

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 18 Years
Maximum Age: 64 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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No

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Treatment
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Single


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: Personal counseling<br> | Behavioral: Personal Counseling<br>* At three time-points, participants receive counseling by health professionals trained in Motivational Interviewing based counseling. To assure that both interventions do not differ in their content, individual manuals generated by a software program are used. Counseling will be face-to-face during the hospital stay, and by phone one and three months later.<br>|
| Experimental: Computer generated feedback letters<br> | Behavioral: Computer-generated feedback letters<br>* At three time points, participants receive feedback letters, tailored to the stages of change according to the TTM, and generated by a computer software program. The first letter is handed out during their hospital stay and includes normative feedback. One and three months later, participants receive ipsative feedback letters by mail.<br>|
| No Intervention: Control group<br>Treatment as usual | |

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Risky drinking | Determined by using average alcohol consumption per day, heavy occasional drinking, highest blood alcohol concentration, the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test-Consumption (AUDIT-C) score | 6, 12, 18, 24 months | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Motivation to reduce drinking | Assessed by a stages of change-algorithm | 6, 12, 18, 24 months | 
| Attempts to reduce drinking |  | 6, 12, 18, 24 months | 
| Knowledge about drinking limits |  | 6, 12, 18, 24 months | 
| Self-efficacy scores | Assessed by a modified short-form of the Alcohol-Abstinence-Self-Efficacy-Scale (AASE). The modified form assesses self-efficacy regarding compliance with drinking limits. | 6 months | 
| Decisional balance scores | Assessed by a short form of the Alcohol Decisional Balance Scale (ADBS) | 6 months | 
| Self-rated health |  | 6, 12, 18, 24 months | 
| Health care utilization |  | 6, 12, 18, 24 months | 

 Terms related to the study
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Keywords Provided by Centre Hospitalier Valida
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Hazardous drinking, general hospital, brief intervention, Motivational Interviewing, computer-generated feedback, stage-tailored, delivery channel