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. 2013 Apr 5;31(3):146–153. [Article in Spanish] doi: 10.1016/S0212-6567(03)70674-X

Efectividad del consejo médico a pacientes alcohólicos y bebedores excesivos atendidos en consultas de atención primaria

Effectiveness of medical counseling for alcoholic patients and patients with excessive alcohol consumption seen in primary care

JA Fernández García a, R Ruiz Moral b,*, LA Pérula de Torres c, L Campos Sánchez d, N Lora Cerezo e, J Martínez de la Iglesia e; por el Grupo Cordobés de Investigación en Atención Primaria (GCIAP)1
PMCID: PMC7684237  PMID: 12622980

Abstract

Aim

To determine the effectiveness of medical counseling for alcohol abuse, when it is provided in primary care centers.

Design

Quasi-experimental, open, multicenter before-after study.

Setting

14 primary care physician's practices (7 rural, 7 urban) in the province of Córdoba (Spain).

Participants

306 patients of both sexes, recruited with a case-finding strategy, who consumed ≥35 (men) or ≥21 (women) IU per week, or who had alcohol dependence syndrome (ADS) (MALTS score O≥11).

Interventions

All patients were offered brief counseling to reduce drinking, and all were followed to evaluate their status 3 months, 1 year and 2 years later.

Main measures

The response variable was selfreported alcohol consumption together with normal GGT values or confirmation of alcohol consumption by a relative. The results were subjected to intention-to-treat analysis.

Results

Of the 306 patients included in the study, 95.1% were men and 78.4% had ADS. After 2 years 38.89% (95% CI, 32.2%-44.3%) had attained their treatment goal: 23.85% were in complete abstinence, and 15.0% consumed moderate amounts of alcohol below the limit considered to indicate risk. Starting excessive consumption at less than 16 years of age (odds ratio [OR], 3.0885), living in a slum (OR, 3.2103), smoking (OR, 1.7187), and a positive CAGE test (OR, 1.9949) were associated with failure of the intervention (P<.05).

Conclusions

Counseling provided by the family doctor was highly effective under the usual conditions of general practice, both for patients with excessive alcohol consumption and for patients with con ADS.

Key words: Alcoholism, Medical counseling, Effectiveness, Primary care

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