Qualitative study to understand cost-effectiveness of AAOT v1
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Qualitative study to increase understanding of the cost-effectiveness of alcohol assertive outreach treatment (AAOT) for people who frequently attend hospital for alcohol-related reasons.
IRAS ID
264767
Contact name
Colin Drummond
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
King's College London
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 10 months, 1 days
Research summary
Alcohol misuse places a significant burden on the NHS. Alcohol-related hospital admissions have doubled in the last ten years. Reducing alcohol-related admissions is a key public health priority in England. People who attend hospital frequently with alcohol-related problems are a relatively small subgroup but have multiple unplanned hospital attendances during a relatively short time period. They account for a disproportionately large use of NHS resources and therefore financial cost. Complex health and social support needs often prevent them from accessing or engaging with conventional addiction community treatment.
Assertive outreach is a service model that was originally developed for people with severe mental illness. It may be a suitable approach for people who frequently attend hospital for alcohol-related reasons. It has a strong emphasis on proactive engagement with patients over an extended period, a patient-led agenda. Care coordinators have small caseloads and work in a multidisciplinary team that meets regularly.
A randomised controlled trial is under way to test the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of assertive outreach treatment delivered to people who frequently attend hospital for alcohol-related reasons. This qualitative study aims to increase the understanding of the factors underlying its cost-effectiveness through in-depth qualitative interviews with a small sample of participants from the trial.
Participants from both the intervention arm (assertive outreach treatment) and the care as usual arm of the clinical trial will be asked about their experience of the treatment they received, whether their health and quality of life has changed over the 12 months, and if so, what they believe to be the reasons for that. They will also be asked whether their use of other services, particularly A&E and hospital admissions, has changed and if so, what they believe to be the reasons for that.
REC name
Wales REC 4
REC reference
19/WA/0227
Date of REC Opinion
13 Aug 2019
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion