Systematic review of modifications to alcohol screening and brief interventions for older adults with cognitive impairment

Purpose: Older adults with cognitive impairment who drink too much alcohol risk further cognitive decline and other alcohol related harms. We reviewed the literature to synthesise existing knowledge about modifications to alcohol screening and brief interventions for people with cognitive impairment and their effectiveness.

Design: We carried out a systematic review (PROSPERO: CRD42022378827). We included studies of older adults with cognitive impairment that examined alcohol screening or brief interventions applied to or modified for this group. A narrative synthesis was conducted.

Findings: Four studies (5 papers) were found that met the review inclusion criteria. Alcohol screening tools and brief interventions were reported to be acceptable and feasible in older people with cognitive impairment (2 studies). No studies of effectiveness of alcohol screening or brief interventions for people with cognitive impairment were identified.

Originality: This original systematic review found no studies exploring the effectiveness of alcohol screening or brief interventions in this population.

Research implications: Research should focus on the development of modified interventions that should be tested rigorously to tackle the large and growing burden of cognitive impairment globally.