Pilot Randomized Trial of a Recovery Navigator Program for Survivors of Critical Illness with Problematic Alcohol Use

Abstract

Objective: Many survivors of critical illness have problematic alcohol use, associated with risk of death and hospital readmission. We tested the feasibility, acceptability, treatment fidelity, and potential efficacy of a customized alcohol intervention for patients in ICUs. The intervention was delivered by a Recovery Navigator using principles of motivational interviewing and shared decision-making. Design: Pilot randomized trial. Setting: Two urban ICUs in Denver, CO. Patients: Patients with problematic alcohol use were enrolled prior to hospital discharge. Interventions: Patients were randomly assigned to usual care, single-session motivational interviewing and shared decision-making, or multisession motivational interviewing and shared decision-making. Measurements and Main Results: We assessed feasibility via enrollment and attrition, acceptability via patient satisfaction (Client Satisfaction Questionnaire-8), fidelity via observation and questionnaires, and potential efficacy via group means and CIs on measures of alcohol use, psychiatric symptoms, cognition, and other alcohol-related problems. Over 18 months, we offered the study to 111 patients, enrolled 47, and randomized 36; refusals were mainly due to stigma or patients' desire to handle problems on their own. Groups were similar at baseline, and 67% of patients met criteria for alcohol use disorder. Average patient satisfaction was high (mean = 28/32) regardless of group assignment. Sessions were delivered with 98% adherence to motivational interviewing principles and excellent motivational interviewing spirit; patients perceived the intervention to be more autonomy supportive than usual care. Group means after 6 months suggested that patients receiving the intervention might improve on measures such as alcohol use, psychiatric symptoms, legal problems, and days of paid work; however, they did not receive more substance use treatment. All results were nonsignificant due to small sample size. Conclusions: A Recovery Navigator intervention was feasible and acceptable for delivering high-fidelity brief interventions to ICU patients. Changes in alcohol-related problems with motivational interviewing and shared decision-making were nonsignificant but clinically meaningful in size. A full-scale randomized trial of motivational interviewing and shared decision-making is warranted.