Implementation of a symptom-Triggered protocol for severe alcohol withdrawal treatment in a medical step-down unit

Abstract

Objective: This single-center, quasi-experimental study of adult patients admitted or transferred to a medical step-down unit with alcohol withdrawal diagnoses sought to determine if symptom-triggered therapy (STT) is more effective than combined fixed-scheduled (FS) and STT in severe alcohol withdrawal. Methods: In the preintervention group (72 episodes), patients were treated with FS and STT based on physician preference. In the postintervention group (69 episodes), providers were required to utilize only the STT protocol. Results: Implementation of the intervention was associated with a significant reduction in average (per patient) cumulative benzodiazepine dose, from 250 mg to 96 mg (P