Drug and alcohol review
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Drug and alcohol review · Nov 2014
Implications of enrolment eligibility criteria in alcohol treatment outcome research: generalisability and potential bias in 1- and 6-year outcomes.
It has been acknowledged that participants in clinical trials differ from real-world service users, primarily due to the extensive use of research eligibility criteria (EC). Generalisability and outcome bias become pressing issues when evidence-based treatment guidelines, crystallised from outcome research, influence treatment provision. This study reports on the effects of EC on generalisability and short- and long-term outcomes among real-world treatment-seekers. ⋯ Outcome studies that exclude complex and non-compliant cases are not representative of real-world service users, and thus effectiveness estimates from clinical trials are biased by several commonly used EC. EC should be used judiciously and be taken into account in practice guidelines. This burgeoning research area should be further developed. [Storbjörk J. Implications of enrolment eligibility criteria in alcohol treatment outcome research: Generalisability and potential bias in 1- and 6-year outcomes. Drug Alcohol Rev 2014;33:604-11].