TY - JOUR
T1 - Methodological challenges and limitations of research on alcohol consumption and effect on common clinical conditions
T2 - Evidence from six systematic reviews
AU - Turner, Barbara J.
AU - McLellan, Thomas
N1 - Funding Information:
METHODS: To evaluate this issue, we examined six systematic reviews, four of which were conducted as part of a research initiative supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Program of Research to Integrate Substance Use Information into Mainstream Healthcare (PRISM). PRISM aimed to assimilate and improve the evidence on the medical impact of alcohol (and other drugs of abuse) on common chronic conditions.
Funding Information:
Supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Betty Ford Foundation Received December 13, 2008 Revised June 12, 2009 Accepted June 30, 2009 Published online August 12, 2009
Funding Information:
gratefully acknowledge the support of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation for PRISM and the support of the Betty Ford Foundation for the development of this paper. Dr. Turner receives support from Pfizer, Inc., through a grant to the University of Pennsylvania for unrelated research. Dr. McLellan reports no sources of other support or conflicts of interest.
Copyright:
Copyright 2014 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 2009
Y1 - 2009
N2 - BACKGROUND: Despite the high prevalence of alcohol consumption in the US, 'mainstream' physicians generally consider it to be peripheral to most patient care. This may be due in part to a dearth of rigorous research on alcohol's effect on common diseases. METHODS: To evaluate this issue, we examined six systematic reviews, four of which were conducted as part of a research initiative supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Program of Research to Integrate Substance Use Information into Mainstream Healthcare (PRISM). PRISM aimed to assimilate and improve the evidence on the medical impact of alcohol (and other drugs of abuse) on common chronic conditions. RESULTS: From these reviews, we summarize the methodological limitations of research on alcohol's impact on development and/or clinical course of depression, hypertension, diabetes, bone disease, dementia, and sexually transmitted diseases. The studies included in these reviews were largely fair to good quality, and few were in primary care settings. Syntheses were hampered by the myriad of definitions of alcohol consumption from any/none to seven levels and a plethora of types of alcohol use disorders. CONCLUSION: We recommend more high-quality observational and experimental studies in primary care settings as well as a more standard approach to quantifying alcohol use and to defining alcohol use disorders.
AB - BACKGROUND: Despite the high prevalence of alcohol consumption in the US, 'mainstream' physicians generally consider it to be peripheral to most patient care. This may be due in part to a dearth of rigorous research on alcohol's effect on common diseases. METHODS: To evaluate this issue, we examined six systematic reviews, four of which were conducted as part of a research initiative supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Program of Research to Integrate Substance Use Information into Mainstream Healthcare (PRISM). PRISM aimed to assimilate and improve the evidence on the medical impact of alcohol (and other drugs of abuse) on common chronic conditions. RESULTS: From these reviews, we summarize the methodological limitations of research on alcohol's impact on development and/or clinical course of depression, hypertension, diabetes, bone disease, dementia, and sexually transmitted diseases. The studies included in these reviews were largely fair to good quality, and few were in primary care settings. Syntheses were hampered by the myriad of definitions of alcohol consumption from any/none to seven levels and a plethora of types of alcohol use disorders. CONCLUSION: We recommend more high-quality observational and experimental studies in primary care settings as well as a more standard approach to quantifying alcohol use and to defining alcohol use disorders.
KW - Alcohol
KW - Alcohol drinking/adverse effects
KW - Medical impacts
KW - Research limitations
KW - Standardized measurement
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=77953924926&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=77953924926&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s11606-009-1072-z
DO - 10.1007/s11606-009-1072-z
M3 - Review article
C2 - 19672662
AN - SCOPUS:77953924926
VL - 24
SP - 1156
EP - 1160
JO - Journal of General Internal Medicine
JF - Journal of General Internal Medicine
SN - 0884-8734
IS - 10
ER -