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Hospital Management

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Addressing Unhealthy Alcohol Use in Primary Care

Abstract

Unhealthy alcohol use is common among hospitalized patients, and those with dependence need to be assessed for withdrawal risk. Thiamine should always be given to these patients; they should be monitored with a structured withdrawal rating scale (e.g., CIWA) and treated with benzodiazepines as the drug-of-choice for monotherapy of alcohol withdrawal. Referral to alcohol counseling rehabilitation services should be part of discharge planning when appropriate.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Family Medicine, University at Buffalo, 14215, Buffalo, NY, USA

    Richard D. Blondell & Mohammadreza Azadfard MD

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  1. Richard D. Blondell
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  2. Mohammadreza Azadfard MD
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Correspondence to Richard D. Blondell .

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  1. , Section of General Internal Medicine, Boston Medical Center, Massachusetts Avenue, 2nd Floor 801, Boston, 02118-2335, Massachusetts, USA

    Richard Saitz

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Blondell, R., Azadfard, M. (2013). Hospital Management. In: Saitz, R. (eds) Addressing Unhealthy Alcohol Use in Primary Care. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-4779-5_18

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-4779-5_18

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