A Retrospective Study of Hospital Recidivism Among Patients with Alcohol Use Disorders Treated with Intramuscular Naltrexone

Abstract

Introduction Alcohol use disorder is a chronic, relapsing condition that is associated with compulsive alcohol use and loss of control of alcohol intake. It is a common problem in the hospital setting. It has also become a public health dilemma. This study seeks to analyze the benefit of long-acting naltrexone. This well-studied agent is indicated for alcohol use disorder. Methods This was a retrospective cohort study between July 1, 2016, and October 31, 2017, using Meditech's Pharmacy Admission Report (MPAR), which is the community hospital's network's electronic medical record (EMR) system as the data source "alcohol use disorders" covers a broad spectrum of sub-diagnoses. The patients were selected after they were admitted with a primary diagnosis of alcohol abuse dependence (APDRG v34code). Results The readmission rate in the study population (intramuscular naltrexone) was 2.86% and readmission in the control population (standard of care) was 25.70%. Patients diagnosed with alcohol abuse dependence are at a significantly decreased risk for readmission if treated with intramuscular naltrexone (odds ratio (OR) 8.5%; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.0115, 0.6300; p=0.0159). Conclusion This study showed that treating patients admitted under the diagnosis of alcohol abuse dependence with intramuscular naltrexone may be an effective intervention in reducing hospital readmission. Additional studies are warranted to clarify and establish optimal treatment strategies.