Evidence map›Paper›PMID 31898529›Full record

ArticleSubstance abuse treatment, prevention, and policy2020

The potential effects of an extended alcohol withdrawal treatment programme on morbidity and mortality among inpatients in the German city of Bremen: a simulation study.

Jakob Manthey, Christina Lindemann, Ludwig Kraus, Jens Reimer, Uwe Verthein, Bernd Schulte, Jürgen Rehm

Open access · goldAbstract readEvaluation Study
In one paragraph

Article in Substance abuse treatment, prevention, and policy, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
2.8field-weighted citation impact, top 7% of its field
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed, 40 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Utilisation of alcohol-related treatment after a first alcohol use disorder diagnosis in Hamburg, Germany.European psychiatry : the journal of the Association of European Psychiatrists · 2025
    Article
  2. Review
  3. Article
  4. SSM. Mental health · 2021
    Article
  5. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 3 institutions in 3 countries.

Jakob MantheyInstitute of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Technische Universität Dresden, Chemnitzer Str. 46, 01187, Dresden, Germany. jakob.manthey@tu-dresden.de.ORCID 0000-0003-1231-3760
Christina LindemannCenter for Interdisciplinary Addiction Research (ZIS), Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
Ludwig KrausIFT Institut für Therapieforschung, Munich, Germany.
Jens ReimerCenter for Interdisciplinary Addiction Research (ZIS), Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
Uwe VertheinCenter for Interdisciplinary Addiction Research (ZIS), Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
Bernd SchulteCenter for Interdisciplinary Addiction Research (ZIS), Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
Jürgen RehmInstitute of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Technische Universität Dresden, Chemnitzer Str. 46, 01187, Dresden, Germany.
Universität Hamburg · DECentre for Addiction and Mental Health · CAIFT Institut für Therapieforschung · DE

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundAccording to the German guidelines, people with severe alcohol use disorders (AUDs) should receive withdrawal treatment. Compared to somatic withdrawal treatment (SWT), extended duration and psychosocial elements of so-called "qualified withdrawal treatment" (QWT) aim to reduce relapse rates. Despite promising results of prospective studies on QWT, only few German inpatients seeking withdrawal treatment receive QWT. We estimated the potential effects on mortality and morbidity for higher proportions of treatment-seeking patients receiving QWT rather than SWT in the German city of Bremen.

methodsIn 2016 and 2017, 2051 inpatients were admitted to two specialised hospitals for withdrawal treatment. The potential beneficial effects of QWT over SWT were estimated by simulating treatment outcomes taken from two prospective studies. Outcomes comprised number and length of all-cause hospitalisations within 5 years, as well as abstinence and all-cause mortality rates within 28 months. Outcomes were estimated for actual and increased rates of QWT (25, 50%) among inpatients seeking alcohol treatment.

resultsIn the selected hospitals, 170 patients (8%) received QWT. If 25% of AUD inpatients were to receive QWT, benefits in abstinence rates (+ 18%), the total number of hospitalisations (- 9%) and hospital days (- 10%) could be expected. If 50% of AUD inpatients were to receive QWT, benefits in abstinence rates (+ 45%), the total number of hospitalisations (- 23%) and hospital days (- 26%) were more pronounced, in addition to reductions in mortality (- 20%).

conclusionIncreasing the proportion of people with severe AUD enrolled in extended withdrawal treatment programs (such as QWT) may contribute to reduce overall alcohol-attributable burden of disease. Randomised controlled trials or other prospective studies controlling for confounding factors are needed to determine the potential at the population level.

Indexed as

InpatientsAdultAlcoholismFemaleGermanyHumansMaleMortalityOutcome Assessment, Health CareProgram EvaluationProspective StudiesSubstance Withdrawal SyndromeAlcoholAlcohol use disordersDetoxificationGermanyGuidelinesHospitalTreatmentWithdrawal

Identifiers

PMID31898529
PMCPMC6941395
OpenAlexW3000390756

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

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.