Practitioner and digitally delivered interventions for reducing hazardous and harmful alcohol consumption

A paper in the journal Addiction compares the effectiveness of practitioner versus digitally delivered interventions for reducing hazardous and harmful alcohol consumption.
A systematic review and network meta-analysis was conducted, comprising a comprehensive search for randomised controlled trials, robust screening and selection methods, and appraisal. Of 201 included trials, 152 reported a consumption outcome that could be converted to grams/week; 104 reported the number of single high intensity drinking episodes.
At 1 and 6 months, practitioner delivered interventions reduced consumption more than digitally delivered interventions (1 month: -23 grams/week [95% confidence interval [CI] -43 to -2]; 6 months: -14 grams/week [95% CI -25 to -3]). At 12 months there was no evidence of difference between practitioner and digitally delivered interventions (-6 grams/week [95% CI -24 to 12]). There was no evidence of a difference in single high intensity drinking episodes between practitioner and digitally delivered interventions at any time point. The researchers comment that the effect sizes were small but could impact across a population with relatively high prevalence of hazardous and harmful drinking.
Practitioner delivered interventions for reducing hazardous and harmful alcohol consumption are more effective than digitally delivered interventions up to 6 months; at 12 months there is no evidence of a difference, they conclude.
Source: Beyer, F. R., Kenny, R. P. W., Johnson, E., Caldwell, D. M., Garnett, C., Rice, S., Simpson, J., Angus, C., Craig, D., Hickman, M., Michie, S., and Kaner, E. F. S. (2022) Practitioner and digitally delivered interventions for reducing hazardous and harmful alcohol consumption in people not seek-ing alcohol treatment: a systematic review and network meta-analysis, Addiction. .