Research on matching alcoholic patients to treatments: findings, issues, and implications.

No single treatment has emerged as effective for all persons diagnosed as alcoholics. "Patient-treatment matching" is a method of choosing between alternative treatment options based on particular patient characteristics that interact differentially with interventions to produce more beneficial results than if "matching" had not been done. This review distinguishes three models for interactions between patient characteristics and interventions in terms of their clinical implications. Supporting empirical evidence for matching is also summarized. Requirements for the future research agenda are discussed and the pros and cons of implementing patient treatment matching in the clinical setting are addressed.