Assertive outreach treatment for alcohol related admissions
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Development and evaluation of an assertive outreach treatment for patients who have frequent alcohol related admissions to in-patient care in King’s Health Partners
IRAS ID
191704
Contact name
Colin Drummond
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
King's College London
ISRCTN Number
ISRCTN67000214
Duration of Study in the UK
3 years, 0 months, 0 days
Research summary
Alcohol misuse places a significant burden on the NHS. Alcohol-related hospital admissions have doubled in the last eight years and reducing alcohol related admissions is a key public health target in England. People who are frequently admitted to in-patient care for alcohol related problems are a relatively small subgroup of all patients with alcohol-related hospital admissions and are characterised by having multiple admissions or attendances caused by alcohol during a relatively short time period. This group account for a disproportionately large use of NHS resources as a consequence of repeated unplanned admissions. Assertive outreach may be a suitable treatment approach in this patient group, where there is strong emphasises on active engagement with the patient over an extended period, rapid access to services, a small caseload, greater proportion of community appointments than office-based appointments, assertive engagement (e.g. with multiple attempts) and a shared care approach, with care coordinators working within a multidisciplinary team that meets frequently. Our study aims to trial an assertive outreach treatment approach for people who are frequently admitted to in-patient care with alcohol related problems, to improve clinical outcomes for this group of patients and reduce alcohol-related admissions. 200 patients will be recruited to our study and following initial assessment, will be randomly assigned to receive assertive outreach treatment plus care as usual or care as usual. The primary outcome will be difference between groups at 12 months in terms of percentage of days abstinent.
REC name
London - Harrow Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
16/LO/0411
Date of REC Opinion
6 Apr 2016
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion