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Background As the science of consultation-liaison psychiatry advances, the Academy of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry's Guidelines and Evidence-Based Medicine Subcommittee reviews articles of interest to help academy members remain familiar with the latest in evidence-based practice. Objective We identify the 10 most important articles for clinical practice in consultation-liaison psychiatry from 2020 using the new Importance and Quality instrument for assessing scientific literature. Methods The subcommittee published annotated abstracts for 97 articles on the academy website in 2020. Reviewers then rated all articles on clinical importance to practice and quality of scholarship using the Importance and Quality instrument. We describe the 10 articles with the highest aggregate scores and analyze the reliability of Importance and Quality instrument. Results Twenty-four raters identified the top 10 scoring articles of 2020. These articles provide practical guidance on key areas of consultation-liaison psychiatry including management of COVID-19, lithium treatment for complex patients, medical risks among patients with severe mental illness, and substance use disorders in medical settings. The assessment instrument demonstrated good to excellent interrater reliability. Conclusion These articles offer valuable guidance for consultation-liaison psychiatrists regardless of their practice area. Collaborative literature reviews with standardized assessments help clinicians deliver evidence-based care and foster a high standard of practice across the specialty.

Background and objectives The number of patients with substance use disorders in need for organ transplantation is expected to increase. Patients with addictive disorders are considered a higher risk of negative outcomes after organ transplantation due to the impact of substance use upon medical status and adherence with treatment. The goal of this systematic review was to assess the current literature on treatment for addiction transplant candidates and recipients. Methods We conducted a literature search within four databases PubMed, MEDLINE, EMBASE, and PsycINFO for publications dated 1/1/1988 to 12/31/2018. Results Out of 3108 articles identified through database screening, 39 were included in the qualitative synthesis. Sixteen studies described addiction treatment in groups over five patients. All the articles included liver transplant patients, with only two studies including patients who needed a kidney or a heart transplant. Nine articles described treatment of alcohol use disorder exclusively, five focused on treatment of opioid use disorders. Although 9 of 16 studies were prospective, the variability of the treatment intervention, outcome measures, and control group when applicable prohibited a meaningful meta-analysis of the results. Eight articles that described the case reports are analyzed separately. Discussion and conclusions Promising treatment options for alcohol use disorder have been reported but more studies are needed to confirm their effectiveness and their feasibility. Methadone appears effective for opioid disorder in transplant patients. Scientific significance To the best of our knowledge, this is the first systematic review on the treatment of addictive disorders in transplant patients. (Am J Addict 2020;29:445-462).

Background The scientific literature in consultation-liaison psychiatry continually expands, and remaining familiar with the most current literature is challenging for practicing clinicians. The Guidelines and Evidence-Based Medicine Subcommittee of the Academy of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry writes quarterly annotations of articles of interest to help Academy members gain familiarity with the most current evidence-based practices. These annotations are available on the Academy Website. Objective We identify the 10 most important manuscripts for clinical practice in consultation-liaison psychiatry from 2019. Methods Sixty-four abstracts were authored in 2019. Manuscripts were rated on clinical relevance to practice and quality of scholarship. The 10 articles with the highest aggregate scores from 19 raters are described. Results The resulting articles provide practical guidance for consultation psychiatrists on several topic areas including the treatment of substance use disorders. Conclusion We suggest that these clinical findings should be familiar to all consultation-liaison psychiatrists regardless of practice area. Regular article reviews and summaries help busy clinicians deliver cutting-edge care and maintain a high standard of care across the specialty.