Table 3 Characteristics of included studies

Almeida do Carmo et al. [87]

Sao Paulo, Brazil

Cross-sectional retrospective to evaluate the effects of a recovery housing and social reintegration program for people recovering from substance dependence

69 persons ages ≥ 18 in recovery from substance dependence, abstinent after discharge from detoxification (alcohol, crack cocaine, marijuana)

Reintegration into society by helping users enter employment, achieve autonomy, remain abstinent and adhere to treatment

Assanangkornchai et al. [86]

Four district hospitals and four healthcare centers in two provinces in Southern Thailand

RCT to assess the effectiveness of the WHO ASSIST-BI [78] procedure compared with ASSIST-screening followed by simple advice (SA) in primary care in low-population areas

236 persons ages ≥ 16 identified as problem or risky substance users (alcohol, amphetamine-type substances, cannabis, cocaine, hallucinogens, inhalants, opioids, sedatives and other substances)

Improve identification of substance misuse and provide support for users to understand their risky SU and develop abstinence strategies

Humeniuk et al. [71]

Australia: walk-in sexually transmitted disease clinic. Brazil: 30 primary health care (PHC) units, two health centers and one out-patient setting

India: community health centers in Shadipur. United States: community clinic

RCT to evaluate the effectiveness of a BI [brief intervention] for illicit drugs [cannabis, cocaine, amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS) and opioids] in PHC clients; determine whether a BI targeted at one substance would increase use of another substance, evaluate whether the general severity of substance involvement affects the response to a BI

731 persons who scored between 4 and 26 on the ASSIST (moderate-risk range) for cannabis, cocaine, ATS or opioids

Reduce risky substance use (SU) in PHC clients using the WHO ASSIST and its linked brief intervention

Kane et al. [70]

Three high-density, low-resource areas in Lusaka, Zambia

RCT protocol (trial completed). The primary aims of the trial are to evaluate the effectiveness of the adapted CETA intervention on (a) reducing and preventing women’s experience of intimate partner violence (IPV) and (b) reducing male partner’s hazardous alcohol use

Hazardous alcohol use and intimate partner violence. Family ‘units’ consisting of three individuals: an adult woman, her male husband or partner (who must be a hazardous drinker according to AUDIT scores), ages ≥ 18, and one of her children (male or female, ages 8–17)

CETA: an adaptable mental health intervention that targets cognitive and behavior change through a variety of intervention components. CETA was specifically adapted in this intervention to be delivered in group settings and to include a CBT-based substance use (SU) reduction element

Lancaster et al. [76], data also extracted from sister article Miller et al. [77]

Kyiv, Ukraine (one community site), Thai Nguyen, Vietnam (two district health center sites), and Jakarta, Indonesia (one hospital site)

Two-arm RCT designed to determine the feasibility, barriers and uptake of an integrated intervention combining health systems navigation and psychosocial counselling for the early engagement and adherence of antiretroviral therapy (ART) and medication-assisted treatment for substance use (MAT) for people who inject drugs (PWID) living with HIV

People who inject drugs (PWID) more than 12 times per 3 months (n = 502), who were HIV-positive (viral load of 1000 copies) and their non-infected injection partners (n = 806) were recruited as network units. Ages 18–60

Conditions: intravenous substance use and HIV

 Harm reduction, improved retention and adherence to SU treatment and HIV care, psychosocial counselling, and referral for ART at any CD4 count

L’Engle et al. [75]

Three health drop-in centers in Mombasa, Kenya

RCT to assess whether a brief alcohol intervention leads to reduced alcohol use and sexually transmitted infection (STI)/HIV incidence and related sexual risk behaviors among moderate drinking female sex workers

Population: Female sex workers of ages ≥ 18 with hazardous drinking (AUDIT score 7–19)

Conditions: Alcohol use disorder and STIs

 Brief intervention based on WHO Brief Intervention for Alcohol Use. The main objective was to facilitate change/reduction in drinking and risky sexual behaviors

Nadkarni et al. [82]

Eight primary health centers in Goa, India

To study and describe the development of the Counselling for Alcohol Problems (CAP) brief intervention

Methods: Three steps are described—(i) identifying potential treatment strategies; (ii) developing a theoretical framework for the treatment; and (iii) evaluating the acceptability and feasibility of the treatment (through a pilot RCT comparing CAP with enhanced usual care (EUC))

Males ages ≥ 18 who had a clinical diagnosis of AUD from a mental health professional or who scored 12+ on the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT)

Reduce harmful drinking behaviors through CAP delivery in primary care services by trained non-professionals

Nadkarni et al. [73]

Ten primary health centers in Goa, India

Single-blind individually randomized trial comparing counselling for alcohol problems (CAP) plus enhanced usual care (EUC) versus EUC only

Alcohol dependent males (AUDIT score of 20 or above) 18–64 years old

Investigate the feasibility and cost-effectiveness of: identifying and recruiting men with probable AD [alcohol dependence] in primary care; delivering a brief treatment for AD by lay counsellors in primary care

CAP intervention was used to treat alcohol dependence in primary care

Noknoy et al. [72]

Eight primary care units (PCU) in rural Northeast (n = 7) and central (n =1) Thailand

RCT to determine the effectiveness of Motivational Enhancement Therapy (MET) for hazardous drinkers in PCU settings

Hazardous drinkers ages ≥ 18 (AUDIT score of 8 or more)

Reduce alcohol consumption among hazardous drinkers in Thailand and harmful drinking behaviors

Pan et al. [88]

Four community-based Methadone Maintenance Treatment (MMT) clinics in Shanghai, China

RCT to determine [1] whether CBT is effective in improving treatment retention and reducing drug use for opiate-dependent Chinese patients in MMT and [2] whether CBT is effective in decreasing addiction severity and psychological stress for MMT patients. Control group were patients receiving MMT alone

Opiate dependent patients according to psychiatrist diagnosis with DSM-IV. Ages 18–65

Cognitive behavioral therapy alongside methadone maintenance treatment to improve treatment adherence and decrease severity of SUD

Papas et al. [83], data also extracted from Papas et al. [43]

HIV outpatient clinic in Eldoret, Kenya

RCT of a culturally adapted Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to reduce alcohol use among HIV-infected outpatients

Persons ages ≥ 18, enrolled as HIV outpatients (receiving or eligible to receive antiretroviral) who satisfy the hazardous or binge drinking criteria (score ≥ 3 on the AUDIT-C, or ≥ 6 drinks per occasion at least monthly

Culturally adapted CBT to achieve abstinence from alcohol and/or encourage approximations to abstinence

Parry et al. [50]

Durban, South Africa. A number of locations (i.e. streets in residential and industrial areas, and hotspots where drug users are known to frequent, such as shelters and community-based organizations)

Pre-post intervention study, formal evaluation to test whether a community-level intervention aimed at alcohol and other drugs (AOD) users has an impact on risky AOD use and sexual risk behavior

Self-reported alcohol and/or drug users ages ≥ 16

Brief, peer-delivered, risk reduction outreach intervention to reduce AOD use and HIV risky behaviors

Peltzer et al. [84]

Forty primary health care facilities in 3 districts in South Africa

RCT to assess the effectiveness of screening and brief intervention (SBI) for alcohol use disorders among TB patients in public primary care clinics. Intervention group received SBI and control group received treatment as usual in addition to an alcohol education leaflet

Harmful drinkers (AUDIT scores 7 and above for women and 8 and above for me) ages ≥ 18, currently in treatment for tuberculosis (primary care)

Screening and brief intervention to reduce alcohol misuse delivered by a clinic lay-counsellor

For early identification of alcohol problems in public primary care the AUDIT and for the brief intervention the WHO brief intervention package for hazardous and harmful drinking was used

Rotheram-Borus et al. [74]

24 low-income urban neighborhoods bordering Cape Town, South Africa

RCT to investigate the effects of a community-based home visiting maternal health intervention by trained non-professional health workers (mentor mothers)

Low income pregnant women

Self-reported drinking during pregnancy

Improve maternal health through a home visiting intervention focused on general maternal and child health, HIV/tuberculosis, alcohol use, and nutrition

Xiaolu et al. [89]

18 local hospitals in Beichuan county, China

Cluster randomized study… to determine the prevalence of problem alcohol use among the patients from village hospitals and investigate whether a structured BI for those with identified alcohol problems was effective in reducing their alcohol consumption. Nine intervention hospitals and 9 control hospitals

Persons ages ≥ 18 scoring 7 or above on the AUDIT. Persons who have experienced a catastrophic event (i.e. earthquake)

‘Brief

Intervention for Substance Use: manual for use in primary care’ recommended by WHO in 2003