Emergency Department Initiated Oral Naltrexone for Patients With Moderate to Severe Alcohol Use Disorder: A Pilot Feasibility Study

Overview

The study will be comprised of two components outlined below:

1. Site Implementation Component

In this component implementation science strategies will be used to strengthen existing non-targeted ED based AUD screening program and optimize feasibility, acceptability and linkage pathways. Three specific aims are to, 1) optimize registered nurse (RN) driven non-targeted alcohol use screening supplemented with secondary screening using DSM-5 criteria for AUD and an SBIRT (screening, brief intervention and referral to treatment) intervention administered by trained staff. 2) During a 3-month period, use continuous quality improvement methods to decrease the time for completion of AUD screening to an interval that is acceptable to ED patients and ED providers and 3) Assess willingness to initiate oral naltrexone among ED patients with moderate to severe AUD. Ten (10) patients will be enrolled in phase 1. 2. Oral Naltrexone Feasibility Component

In this component the study team aims to assess the feasibility of initiating treatment in ED patients with moderate to severe AUD on oral naltrexone, an evidence based and accepted standard of care treatment for AUD. Specifically, 1) over an 8-month period the study team aims to identify 20 patients with moderate to severe AUD eligible and interested in immediate initiation of oral naltrexone. Consenting patients will be receive a standard SBIRT intervention and be provided with immediate oral naltrexone initiation in the ED with a 14-day starter pack at the time of ED discharge. All participants will receive facilitated linkage to comprehensive out-patient care. 2) The study team aims will evaluate the impact of immediate ED initiated oral naltrexone with the primary outcome being engagement in comprehensive addiction care at 14 and 30 days post enrollment. Secondary outcomes include medication adherence, changes in daily alcohol consumption, number of heavy drinking days, hospital admissions and ED utilization, transition to long-acting injectable naltrexone and alcohol craving. 3) Lastly, the study team will collect data on recruitment and attrition rates, as well as means and standard deviations for key measures that will be needed to plan a definitive randomized controlled trial of ED-initiated oral naltrexone.