ArticleCJEM2026
Nudging for practice change: a comparison of medications for alcohol use disorder prescribing in the emergency department before and after implementation of a standardized order set for patients with alcohol withdrawal.
Article in CJEM, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
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Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
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Abstract
objectivesMedications for alcohol use disorder, or "anti-craving medications", are effective yet underutilized treatments for alcohol use disorder. This study examined whether a pre-printed prescription embedded in a printable order set could "nudge" clinicians to increase prescribing for medications for alcohol use disorder.
methodsWe conducted a prescription database review comparing prescribing rates at baseline to those at monthly intervals up to 12 months following implementation of a new provincial pre-printed order set for alcohol withdrawal syndrome in Saskatchewan. Patients were included if they had an alcohol-related emergency department (ED) visit, were discharged home, had a prescription for a medication for alcohol use disorder filled within 3 days of ED discharge, and did not have a previous prescription for a medication for alcohol use disorder filled within a washout window prior to the ED visit. The review captured all provincial prescriptions of naltrexone and acamprosate-the two medications available on the pre-printed prescription-for patients who fit the inclusion criteria.
resultsA total of 5740 pre-implementation and 6021 post-implementation patients met inclusion criteria. Baseline demographics and comorbidities were similar across groups. The rate of ED visits with a filled prescription increased from 1.8% pre-implementation to 3.4% post-implementation. Naltrexone prescribing rose from 1.6 to 2.7%, and acamprosate from 0.2 to 0.7%. Interrupted time-series and logistic regression analyses confirmed a statistically significant increase in prescribing post-implementation (adjusted OR 1.9; 95% CI 1.5-2.5).
conclusionsIntroducing an order set incorporating pre-printed prescriptions for medications for alcohol use disorder effectively increased prescribing rates for physicians treating patients with alcohol-related ED visits, validating use of a "nudge" to effect behavioural change. While promising, sustaining these gains may require reinforcement. In resource-constrained EDs, nudges offer a feasible strategy to improve alignment with evidence-based treatment for alcohol use disorder.
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