Starting alcohol treatment medications in the emergency room
Emergency Department-Initiated Medications for Alcohol Use Disorder
This project sees whether offering brief counseling plus beginning medications in the ER helps adults with moderate to severe alcohol use disorder connect to ongoing treatment.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Yale University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New Haven, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11127548 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If I come to the emergency department with moderate to severe alcohol use disorder, I could be randomly assigned to get brief counseling and a referral or to get the same plus medications started before I leave. The team will screen me, provide a short motivational intervention, and directly link me to follow-up treatment after the ED visit. People in the medication group would be offered gabapentin and either oral or extended-release naltrexone as a combination option started in the ED. The trial will enroll 240 patients and follow them to see who engages in continued care and how their drinking and related problems change over time.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Adults who present to the emergency department with moderate to severe alcohol use disorder, can give informed consent, and are willing to consider counseling and medication options.
Not a fit: People with mild alcohol problems, those with medical contraindications to naltrexone or gabapentin (for example pregnancy or severe liver disease), or people not seen at participating ED sites are unlikely to benefit from this trial.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could make it easier for people to start effective medications after an ER visit and stay in treatment, which may reduce heavy drinking and related harms.
How similar studies have performed: Medication plus counseling has shown benefit in specialty and primary care settings, but starting medications in the emergency department is a newer approach with limited prior evidence.
Where this research is happening
New Haven, United States
- Yale University — New Haven, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Hawk, Kathryn — Yale University
- Study coordinator: Hawk, Kathryn
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.