ABSTRACT Low And Middle-Income countries (LMIC) face a shortage of specialists to administer Brief Interventions (BIs) for Alcohol Use Disorders (AUDs). The objective of this study was to determine the feasibility of a Nurse-Conducted Brief Intervention (NCBI) in achieving alcohol abstinence in males diagnosed with AUDs in gastroenterology settings. A prospective study design was used to determine the feasibility, and note the impact of NCBI in patients with AUDs in promoting abstinence when followed up telephonically. The feasibility of NCBI was noted in the acceptance of 93.3% (428 out of 459) patients admitted for alcohol-related issues to participate in the paid service of the NCBI. Participants underwent assessment, completed NCBI sessions, and demonstrated higher rates of telephone follow-up. The median abstinence rates ranged from 91.8% to 46.7% (7 to 190?days of follow up). On Kaplan-Meier analysis, the median abstinent days was 189. Lower scores on the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) at study initiation were related to abstinence beyond 180?days. Fifty-three patients (12.38%) died during the study period, and the only significant predictor of mortality was Alcohol-Related Liver Disease (ARLD) (AOR?= 5.3). Our study indicates that NCBI is feasible, acceptable, and has an impact on abstinence.
|