Many health problems that healthcare practitioners encounter derive from or are complicated by alcohol use disorders (AUD). Four approved medications that treat AUD make treatment in primary care a viable adjunct or alternative to specialty care, with many potential advantages. Screening for and providing brief interventions to treat AUD in general medical settings promote healthy life choices and increase the likelihood of recovery, especially for patients who have not yet progressed to chronic alcohol dependence, those with comorbid medical disorders being treated in these settings, and those who otherwise would not seek or receive treatment for their AUD. This report provides a resource to assist the health-care provider in this effort. Illus.

This is a print on demand edition of a hard to find publication. This Guide provides succinct, easily accessible information to substance abuse counselors (SAC) about the use of medications to help clients achieve and maintain abstinence from alcohol. It is based on a Treatment Improvement Protocol for healthcare practitioners who can prescribe or administer medications for the treatment of alcohol use disorders (AUDs). However, SAC also need to know about pharmacotherapy because medications can help some clients achieve and maintain abstinence. This Guide was written to assist SAC in: Answering clients¿ questions about AUD medications (e.g., how they work, whom they may benefit, side effects); and Understanding which of their clients may be candidates for pharmacological treatment for AUDs. Illustrations.

For use by addiction counselors, psychologists, psychiatrists, and other professionals working with clients with addictions, this work provides a supported framework for managing biophysical treatment of alcohol and drug dependence. Compatible with cognitive-behavioral and 12-step models, BRENDA is a collaborative, case-management approach to treatment that has been demonstrated effective in more than 80 percent of alcohol-dependent referrals.

This Treatment Improvement Protocol (TIP) reviews the use of the three Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved medications used to treat opioid use disorder (OUD)—methadone, naltrexone, and buprenorphine—and provides guidance for healthcare professionals and addiction treatment providers on appropriate prescribing practices for these medications and effective strategies for supporting the patients utilizing medication for the treatment of OUD. The goal of treatment for opioid addiction or OUD is remission of the disorder leading to lasting recovery. Recovery is a process of change through which individuals improve their health and wellness, live self-directed lives, and strive to reach their full potential. This TIP also educates patients, families, and the general public about how OUD medications work and the benefits they offer. Related products: Medication-Assisted Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder: Pocket Guide A Shared Burden: The Military and Civilian Consequences of Army Pain Management Since 2001 Click our Alcoholism, Smoking & Substance Abuse collection to find more resources on this topic.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS: The goal of this TIP is to recommend guidelines for primary care clinicians to follow in caring for patients with alcohol and other drug use disorders. These guidelines were developed by a Consensus Panel of clinicians, researchers, and educators who work on the prevention and treatment of substance use disorders. Protocols are based partly on research evidence, partly on Panel members' clinical experience. The algorithm to the left follows a patient with substance use problems who presents in a primary care setting. The chart will serve as a guide or road map through screening, brief assessment, brief intervention, assessment, referral, specialized treatment, and followup care as they are detailed in the TIP. Since substance use disorders are often chronic conditions that progress slowly over time, primary care clinicians, through their regular, long-term contact with patients, are in an ideal position to screen for alcohol and drug problems and monitor each patient's status. Futhermore, studies have found that primary care clinicians can actually help many patients decrease alcohol consumption and its harmful consequences through office-based interventions that take only 10 to 15 minutes (Kahan et al., 1995; Wallace et al., 1988). This potential, however, is largely untapped: Saitz and colleagues found that of a sample of patients seeking substance abuse treatment, 45 percent reported that their primary care physician was unaware of their substance abuse (Saitz et al., in press). Yet even though screening and limited treatment of substance use disorders do not require a large time investment, the Consensus Panel that developed this TIP recognized that many primary care clinicians are already overwhelmed by the demands imposed by expanded gatekeeper functions. The Panel realized that a practical approach to addressing patients' substance abuse problems was needed: one that recognized the time and resource limitations inherent in primary care practice and offered a series of graduates approaches that could be incorporated into a normal clinic or office routine. Biological, medical, and genetic factors as well as psychological, social, familial, cultural, and other environmental features all bear on substance abuse. Addressing the condition effectively requires a team effort, especially when it has progressed beyond the early stage. For this reason, in addition to screening and intervention treatment options, these guidelines include information about viable referral for assessment and treatment, as well as followup. Readers will notice that the TIP contains more information on alcohol use and abuse than on use of illicit drugs. This reflects both the scope of the problems and the research literature available about them. It is estimated that about 18 million people with alcohol use problems and 5 million users of illicit drugs need treatment. Although the Panel recognizes that tobacco is an addictive substance with a major public health impact, it is not included in this TIP because the topic falls outside CSAT's purview. Readers are referred to "Smoking Cessation: a Guide for Primary Care Clinicians," published by the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research (Agency for Health Care Policy and Research, 1996). The Consensus Panel's recommendations are based on a combination of clinical experience and research-based evidence. In the list below, the summary guidelines supported by the research literature are followed by (1); clinically based recommendations are marked (2). Citations supporting the former are referenced in the body of the document. Screening and assessment instruments mentioned below are reproduced and discussed in Chapters 2 and 4 and Appendix C. The guidelines are presented in more detail in Chapter 6.

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a major public health problem in the United States. The estimated 12-month and lifetime prevalence values for AUD are 13.9% and 29.1%, respectively, with approximately half of individuals with lifetime AUD having a severe disorder. AUD and its sequelae also account for significant excess mortality and cost the United States more than $200 billion annually. Despite its high prevalence and numerous negative consequences, AUD remains undertreated. In fact, fewer than 1 in 10 individuals in the United States with a 12-month diagnosis of AUD receive any treatment. Nevertheless, effective and evidence-based interventions are available, and treatment is associated with reductions in the risk of relapse and AUD-associated mortality. The American Psychiatric Association Practice Guideline for the Pharmacological Treatment of Patients With Alcohol Use Disorder seeks to reduce these substantial psychosocial and public health consequences of AUD for millions of affected individuals. The guideline focuses specifically on evidence-based pharmacological treatments for AUD in outpatient settings and includes additional information on assessment and treatment planning, which are an integral part of using pharmacotherapy to treat AUD. In addition to reviewing the available evidence on the use of AUD pharmacotherapy, the guideline offers clear, concise, and actionable recommendation statements, each of which is given a rating that reflects the level of confidence that potential benefits of an intervention outweigh potential harms. The guideline provides guidance on implementing these recommendations into clinical practice, with the goal of improving quality of care and treatment outcomes of AUD.

This book provides teaching scripts for medical educators in internal medicine and coaches them in creating their own teaching scripts. Every year, thousands of attending internists are asked to train the next generation of physicians to master a growing body of knowledge. Formal teaching time has become increasingly limited due to rising clinical workload, medical documentation requirements, duty hour restrictions, and other time pressures. In addition, today’s physicians-in-training expect teaching sessions that deliver focused, evidence-based content that is integrated into clinical workflow. In keeping with both time pressures and trainee expectations, academic internists must be prepared to effectively and efficiently teach important diagnostic and management concepts. A teaching script is a methodical and structured plan that aids in effective teaching. The teaching scripts in this book anticipate learners’ misconceptions, highlight a limited number of teaching points, provide evidence to support the teaching points, use strategies to engage the learners, and provide a cognitive scaffold for teaching the topic that the teacher can refine over time. All divisions of internal medicine (e.g. cardiology, rheumatology, and gastroenterology) are covered and a section on undifferentiated symptom-based presentations (e.g. fatigue, fever, and unintentional weight loss) is included. This book provides well-constructed teaching scripts for commonly encountered clinical scenarios, is authored by experienced academic internists and allows the reader to either implement them directly or modify them for their own use. Each teaching script is designed to be taught in 10-15 minutes, but can be easily adjusted by the reader for longer or shorter talks. Teaching Scripts in Internal Medicine is an ideal tool for internal medicine attending physicians and trainees, as well as physician’s assistants, nurse practitioners, and all others who teach and learn internal medicine.