SynthesisBMJ open2016
How effective are brief interventions in reducing alcohol consumption: do the setting, practitioner group and content matter? Findings from a systematic review and metaregression analysis.
Synthesis in BMJ open, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to 2 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 64 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Recurrent Acute Pancreatitis Prevention by the Elimination of Alcohol and Cigarette Smoking (REAPPEAR): Protocol of a Randomized Controlled Trial and a Cohort Study
Peer-Led Intervention To Reduce Alcohol Binge Drinking Among University Students In Romania- A Pilot Study Of The Implementation Processes
Who cites it
64 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Canadian guideline for the clinical management of high-risk drinking and alcohol use disorder.CMAJ : Canadian Medical Association journal = journal de l'Association medicale canadienne · 2023Guideline
- Mobile Health Interventions for Self-Control of Unhealthy Alcohol Use: Systematic Review.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2019Pooled it
- Effectiveness of a nurse-led telephonic brief intervention to reduce risky alcohol use among women in primary care in Brazil: a randomized controlled trial.Archives of women's mental health · 2026Trial
- The effectiveness of a brief intervention for intensive care unit patients with hazardous alcohol use: a randomized controlled trial.Critical care (London, England) · 2024Trial
- Mental Imagery to Reduce Alcohol-related harm in patients with alcohol use disorder and alcohol-related liver damaGE: the MIRAGE randomised pilot trial results.BMJ open gastroenterology · 2024Trial
- Co-use of Opioid Medications and Alcohol Prevention Study (COAPS).Substance abuse · 2023Trial
- Impact of Training and Municipal Support on Primary Health Care-Based Measurement of Alcohol Consumption in Three Latin American Countries: 5-Month Outcome Results of the Quasi-experimental Randomized SCALA Trial.Journal of general internal medicine · 2021Trial
- The role of neuropsychological mechanisms in implementation intentions to reduce alcohol consumption among heavy drinkers: a randomized trial.Journal of behavioral medicine · 2020Trial
- The Effects of a Health Care-Based Brief Intervention on Dating Abuse Perpetration: Results of a Randomized Controlled Trial.Prevention science : the official journal of the Society for Prevention Research · 2020Trial
- Vida PURA: results from a pilot randomized trial of a culturally adapted screening and brief intervention to reduce unhealthy alcohol use among Latino day laborers.Translational behavioral medicine · 2019Trial
- A pragmatic randomised trial of two counselling models at the Swedish national alcohol helpline.BMC psychiatry · 2019Trial
- Alcohol use severity and age moderate the effects of brief interventions in an emergency department randomized controlled trial.Drug and alcohol dependence · 2019Trial
- Drinking to cope moderates the efficacy of changing veteran drinking norms as a strategy for reducing drinking and alcohol-related problems among U.S. veterans.Psychology of addictive behaviors : journal of the Society of Psychologists in Addictive Behaviors · 2018Trial
- Attitudes and Learning through Practice Are Key to Delivering Brief Interventions for Heavy Drinking in Primary Health Care: Analyses from the ODHIN Five Country Cluster Randomized Factorial Trial.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2017Trial
- Critical Role of General Practitioners in Preventing Readmission Following Emergency Department Alcohol Screening and Brief Intervention Management of Alcohol-Related Problems.Journal of primary care & community healthTrial
- Alcohol-related psychiatric inpatient admissions in Ireland - characteristics, trends and factors associated with first and repeat admissions, 2015-2024.Irish journal of medical science · 2026Article
- Population-oriented health promotion and disease prevention interventions in primary healthcare: a scoping review of reviews.BMC primary care · 2026Article
- Article
- Safe start, a hybrid intervention to reduce alcohol exposed pregnancies: protocol for a randomized controlled trial.BMC public health · 2026Article
- The impact and experience of a culturally adapted brief intervention for harmful alcohol use in an emergency care setting (PPKAY: Punguza Pombe Kwa Afya Yako): A case series.medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences · 2025Article
4 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundWhile the efficacy and effectiveness of brief interventions for alcohol (ABI) have been demonstrated in primary care, there is weaker evidence in other settings and reviews do not consider differences in content. We conducted a systematic review to measure the effect of ABIs on alcohol consumption and how it differs by the setting, practitioner group and content of intervention.
methodsWe searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO; CINAHL, Social Science Citation Index, Cochrane Library and Global Health up to January 2015 for randomised controlled trials that measured effectiveness of ABIs on alcohol consumption. We grouped outcomes into measures of quantity and frequency indices. We used multilevel meta-analysis to estimate pooled effect sizes and tested for the effect of moderators through a multiparameter Wald test. Stratified analysis of a subset of quantity and frequency outcomes was conducted as a sensitivity check.
results52 trials were included contributing data on 29 891 individuals. ABIs reduced the quantity of alcohol consumed by 0.15 SDs. While neither the setting nor content appeared to significantly moderate intervention effectiveness, the provider did in some analyses. Interventions delivered by nurses had the most effect in reducing quantity (d=-0.23, 95% CI (-0.33 to -0.13)) but not frequency of alcohol consumption. All content groups had statistically significant mean effects, brief advice was the most effective in reducing quantity consumed (d=-0.20, 95% CI (-0.30 to -0.09)). Effects were maintained in the stratified sensitivity analysis at the first and last assessment time.
conclusionsABIs play a small but significant role in reducing alcohol consumption. Findings show the positive role of nurses in delivering interventions. The lack of evidence on the impact of content of intervention reinforces advice that services should select the ABI tool that best suits their needs.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.