THE GUIDELINE DEVELOPMENT OF ALCOHOL WITHDRAWAL TREATMENT FOR INPATIENTS, PRASRIMAHABHODI PSYCHIATRIC HOSPITAL

Abstract

Objectives: To develop the treatment guideline and to evaluate the implementation of the developed guideline on inpatients with alcohol withdrawal, Prasrimahabhodi Psychiatric Hospital.

Material and Methods: Research and development method had been carried out by using the department of mental health’s 7 steps based on the population study of 2 sample groups including 89 inpatients admitted with alcohol withdrawal syndromes of Prasrimahabhodi Psychiatric Hospital using the Alcohol Withdrawal Scale (AWS) evaluation form, and 26 staff from the multi-disciplinary team to support patients treatment using satisfaction evaluation forms and suggestions regarding the proposed guidelines and indexes follow-up. Data analysis has been carried out using frequency distribution, percentage, mean and standard deviation.

Results: 95.5% of all 89 alcoholic patients were males; more than half of those aged between 41 to 65 years old. All of them were addicted to rice whisky. The average addiction duration is 17.4 ± 8.22 years. The majority of 88.8% revealed the consumption frequency rate of 7 times per week. Most of the patients in this group were mainly diagnosed with alcohol dependence 65.2%. And after the treatment guideline implementation, most of the samples in this group showed no alcohol withdrawal symptoms while being admitted in the hospital for 95.5%, and the evaluation results after observing the performance indicators revealed that the rate of recovery in patients with alcohol withdrawal were decreased within 1.27 days, the length of stay before discharging with alcohol withdrawal was decreased within 16.5 days.

Conclusion: Patients with alcohol withdrawal were at risk of withdrawal symptoms and complications frequently. The existence of treatment guidelines of alcohol withdrawal for inpatients, encouraged the patients themselves to be safe, recovered, and exposed to fewer complications. Moreover, the length of stay could be reduced, and the multi-disciplinary staff responsible for caregivers could pursuit the unique practical treatment guideline.