Table 2.
Characteristics of the Study Sample Compared Across Resolution of Unhealthy Alcohol Use in Patients with and without Use of the Alcohol Counseling Clinical Reminder
| No use of the clinical reminder (n = 1,223) | Use of the clinical reminder (n = 2,975) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Characteristics | No resolution | Resolution | p-value | No resolution | Resolution | p-value |
| n = 875 (72%) | n = 345 (28%) | n = 2,018 (68%) | n = 957 (32%) | |||
| Age category | <0.001 | <0.001 | ||||
| <50 | 141 (16%) | 82 (24%) | 273 (14%) | 235 (25%) | ||
| 50–64 | 334 (38%) | 153(44%) | 852 (42%) | 451 (47%) | ||
| ≥65 | 403 (46%) | 110 (32%) | 893 (44%) | 271 (28%) | ||
| Female | 61 (7%) | 38 (11%) | 0.019 | 86 (4%) | 61 (6%) | 0.016 |
| Race | 0.023 | <0.001 | ||||
| Unknown | 130 (15%) | 51 (15%) | 317 (16%) | 134 (14%) | ||
| White | 646 (74%) | 233 (68%) | 1,484 (74%) | 641 (67%) | ||
| Black | 78 (9%) | 53 (15%) | 163 (8%) | 131 (14%) | ||
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 17 (2%) | 5 (1%) | 38 (2%) | 42 (4%) | ||
| American Indian/Alaskan Native | 7 (1%) | 3 (1%) | 16 (1%) | 9 (1%) | ||
| Marital status | <0.001 | <0.001 | ||||
| Unknown | 15 (2%) | 4 (1%) | 44 (2%) | 15 (2%) | ||
| Never married | 129 (15%) | 66 (19%) | 241 (12%) | 142 (15%) | ||
| Married | 478 (54%) | 139 (40%) | 1025 (51%) | 401 (42%) | ||
| Separated, divorced, widowed | 256 (29%) | 136 (39%) | 708 (35%) | 399 (42%) | ||
| ≥50% Service connected disability | 147 (17%) | 60 (17%) | 0.785 | 399 (20%) | 244 (26%) | <0.001 |
| Diagnosis for tobacco abuse or dependence¥ | 56 (6%) | 33 (10%) | 0.053 | 125 (6%) | 70 (7%) | 0.249 |
| Number of drug use disorder diagnoses¥ | 0.006 | 0.033 | ||||
| 1 | 13 (1%) | 12 (3%) | 37 (2%) | 25 (3%) | ||
| ≥2 | 4 (0%) | 6 (2%) | 9 (0%) | 11 (1%) | ||
| Diagnosis for alcohol abuse or dependence¥ | 56 (6%) | 35 (10%) | 0.024 | 164 (8%) | 82 (9%) | 0.683 |
| One or more alcohol-attributable medical diagnosis (e.g., alcoholic cirrhosis)¥ | 3 (0%) | 5 (1%) | 0.031 | 21 (1%) | 8 (1%) | 0.596 |
| One or more medical conditions associated with unhealthy alcohol use (e.g., cirrhosis, not specifically alcohol-attributable)¥ | 55 (6%) | 25 (7%) | 0.532 | 123 (6%) | 77 (8%) | 0.047 |
| VA addictions treatment | 11 (1%) | 10 (3%) | 0.046 | 44 (2%) | 31 (3%) | 0.085 |
| Mean AUDIT-C score at baseline* (SD) | 5.09 (2.03) | 5.61 (2.33) | <0.001 | 5.39 (2.19) | 5.73 (2.32) | <0.001 |
| Mean Deyo Index score** (SD) | 1.65 (1.06) | 1.77 (1.34) | 0.4377 | 1.65 (1.18) | 1.71 (1.30) | 0.5832 |
| Number of mental health diagnoses¥*** | <0.001 | <0.001 | ||||
| 1 | 65 (7%) | 28 (8%) | 183 (9%) | 119 (12%) | ||
| ≥2 | 19 (2%) | 25 (7%) | 93 (5%) | 66 (7%) | ||
¥Based on ICD-9 diagnoses or visit dates obtained for the year prior to baseline alcohol screening
*Range 3–12
**Means and SDs were derived for the 603 patients without CR use who had any comorbid diagnoses (n = 432 with no resolution and 171 with resolution) and the 1,488 patients with CR use who had any comorbid diagnoses (n = 1,022 with no resolution and 466 with resolution)
***Does not include diagnoses for substance use disorders