New study from Stanford University School of Medicine and Atropos Health highlights missed opportunities to treat alcohol use disorder in hospital settings

PALO ALTO, Calif. — July 15, 2026 — A newly published study in Alcohol and Alcoholism from Stanford University School of Medicine and Atropos Health found that only 3% of hospitalized patients with alcohol use disorder (AUD) received an FDA-approved medication during their hospital stay or at discharge. 

“ER visits and hospitalizations represent an important moment to begin AUD treatment,” said Nicolas Garel, Associate Professor, Université de Montréal. “These findings showcase the real-world data that can identify clinical care gaps. Medication for alcohol use disorder was rarely administered during hospitalization, representing a critical missed opportunity for intervention.”  

Key points from the study: 

• More than 7,500 patients were studied over an 8-year period. 

• Hospitalizations are a critical intervention point where treatment can begin immediately. 

• Only 3% of hospitalized patients with AUD receive an FDA-approved medication during hospitalization or at discharge. 

• Real-world data can identify gaps in clinical care and delivery and can help improve patient outcomes.

Why is hospitalization an important time to begin treatment for AUD?

More than 29 million Americans are affected by AUD. FDA-approved medications exist and they are underutilized across healthcare. Often, ERs and hospitals treat patients with AUD in a critical state. Starting treatment before discharge can help patients connect with recovery services. 

“This is exactly what rigorous real-world evidence makes visible,” Dr. Brigham Hyde, CEO, Atropos Health said. “By turning everyday clinical data into actionable insights, health systems and life science teams can identify clear, addressable care gaps and design targeted, protocol-driven interventions to fix them.”

How can hospitals use these findings to improve patient care?

The peer-reviewed study shows how real-world data can identify gaps in clinical care. Expanding adoption of treatment in the hospital or at discharge can improve outcomes for the patient. The study found that “while effect estimates favored treated patients, limited sample size precluded definitive conclusions. Efforts to improve implementation of AUD pharmacotherapy in inpatient settings are warranted.”

About the Study

The retrospective cohort study evaluated electronic health records from 7,560 hospitalized adults with documented AUD treated between 2015 and 2023. Researchers assessed how often FDA-approved medications for AUD were initiated during hospitalization and evaluated subsequent emergency department visits and hospital readmissions over three- and twelve-month follow-up periods.

About Atropos Health

Atropos Health is closing medicine's most consequential gap: actionable evidence to inform the vast majority of clinical decisions that are made without evidence. By generating real-world evidence from actual patient outcomes and data, Atropos Health is building the evidence infrastructure that clinicians, life science researchers, and AI platforms need to practice, develop and inform medicine, grounded in what actually works. Better healthcare is only possible with evidence, and Atropos Health is working to make it available for every patient, in every healthcare decision, every day. Atropos Health does this via GENEVA OS®, the operating system across a robust network of real-world data; Alexandria®, the world’s largest evidence library; and evidence generation tools such as ChatRWD®, Green Button®, and the Atropos Evidence™ Agent. 

To learn more about Atropos Health, visit www.atroposhealth.com or connect through LinkedIn or X (Twitter).