Brief Intervention for Emergency Department Patients with Alcohol Misuse: Implications for Current Practice

This article reviews studies and current practices of brief motivational intervention in the emergency department and identifies factors related to the effectiveness of brief intervention. Studies of brief intervention in the emergency department have had mixed results with most studies finding improvements in intervention and control groups. Most report brief intervention reducing alcohol's negative consequences without reducing consumption. Clinical practice is incorporating brief intervention as part of emergency treatment, and further research is needed to determine the factors responsible for the improvements noted in most studies.