Audit of alcohol detoxification at Leeds Addiction Unit

At any one time, 76 million people have an alcohol use disorder. Detoxification is a common intervention for alcohol dependence. There is a need regularly to assess and evaluate detoxification practice. The aim and objective of this paper is to describe the findings of audits which assessed the quality and safety of the detoxification experience and to implement changes to improve practice.

All community detoxifications in March 2009 and 2010 were included for the successive audits. Notes were inspected retrospectively three months post completion of detoxification using the audit standard.

A total of 50 and 59 people were eligible in respective audits. At 3 months post‐detoxification 23 per cent of patients had dropped out of treatment compared to 15 per cent in the re‐audit. In 2009, 31 per cent of patients remained completely abstinent and 10 per cent were drinking within safe limits but in 2010 figures improved to 36 per cent and 22 per cent, respectively. Disulfiram was continued by 66 per cent of abstinent patients in the initial audit and 89 per cent in the reaudit. Improved follow‐up protocol, regular advice and monitoring of disulfiram resulted in better abstinence and reduced drop out rates over successive years. Social and Behavioral Network Therapy and disulfiram taken under medical supervision after detoxification play a pivotal role in relapse prevention.

The study considers the importance of the post‐detoxification period, in terms of maintaining a patient's abstinence from alcohol.