A new bulletin has collated the latest additions to the Effectiveness Bank. Three entries examine
screening and brief alcohol interventions which play a key role in UK policy for reducing the public
health burden of excessive drinking. The fourth concerns what for drug-related offenders in Britain
is an equally prominent intervention - the ASRO group therapy programme. To view the whole bulletin
click the following link:
http://findings.org.uk/docs/bulletins/Bull_29_02_12.php
or click the links below to view an entry in the bulletin. If clicking does not work, paste the link
in to your web browser address box, being sure to enter the whole address.

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*updated* INPATIENTS OFTEN GAIN LITTLE MORE FROM ALCOHOL ADVICE THAN FROM SCREENING
Many with alcohol-related disorders, risky drinking hospital inpatients with time to reflect on
their problems ought to be prime candidates for brief advice. This updated synthesis of studies
found some significant impacts but these were inconsistent, perhaps because merely being identified
as a heavy drinker has an impact on its own.
http://findings.org.uk/count/downloads/download.php?file=McQueen_J_1.txt

ALCOHOL SCREENING/BRIEF ADVICE: IT CAN WORK, BUT HOW DO YOU GET IT TO HAPPEN?
UK-focused review of what affects implementation of brief alcohol interventions at the level of the
organisation, the staff doing the work, and the patients. Staff and patients are in theory willing,
but health service providers and commissioners need to pull more of the available levers and provide
more support. Organisational priorities seem the key.
http://findings.org.uk/count/downloads/download.php?file=Johnson_M_1.txt

*updated* HOW MANY HAZARDOUS DRINKERS ARE IDENTIFIED AND ADVISED IN LONDON HOSPITALS?
At three London hospitals 4% of inpatients completed a brief alcohol intervention after being
screened for hazardous drinking by ward staff. Staff were positive and on one ward nearly half the
patients were screened and one in ten counselled, but the overall results are unlikely to dent the
public health burden imposed by drinking.
http://findings.org.uk/count/downloads/download.php?file=Groves_P_1.txt

*updated* GROUP CBT FAILS TO REDUCE RECONVICTION RATE AMONG UK OFFENDERS
Cognitive-behavioural group programmes have been relied on to improve the anti-offending record of
UK probation services, but this first independent evaluation of the main substance use programme
ASRO found no anti-crime impact even when offenders completed the 20 sessions - a finding so
unexpected that it casts doubt on the validity of the study.
http://findings.org.uk/count/downloads/download.php?file=Palmer_E_1.txt

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Effectiveness Bank alerts are provided by Drug and Alcohol Findings (http://findings.org.uk) to
alert you to site updates and recent UK-relevant evaluation studies and reviews of drug/alcohol
interventions. Findings is managed by DrugScope, Alcohol Concern and the National Addiction Centre.
The Effectiveness Bank is supported by Alcohol Research UK.
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