AIM: to compare the effectiveness of practitioner versus digitally delivered interventions for reducing hazardous and harmful alcohol consumption.

DESIGN: Systematic review and network meta-analysis comprising comprehensive search for randomised controlled trials, robust screening and selection methods, and appraisal with the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool. Network meta-analyses were conducted in Stata using random effects, frequentist models. The Confidence In Network Meta-Analysis (CINeMA) tool was used to assess confidence in effect sizes.

SETTING: online or community or health settings where the intervention was immediately accessible without referral. Participants were non treatment-seeking hazardous or harmful drinkers.

MEASUREMENTS: primary outcome was mean difference in alcohol consumption (grams/week); secondary outcome was number of single high intensity drinking episodes. Baseline consumption was analysed as a covariate.

FINDINGS: Of 201 included trials (94,753 participants), 152 reported a consumption outcome that could be converted to grams/week; 104 reported number of single high intensity drinking episodes. At 1 and 6 months, practitioner delivered interventions reduced consumption more than digitally delivered interventions (1 month: -23 grams/week; 6 months: -14 grams/week ) At 12 months there was no evidence of difference between practitioner and digitally delivered interventions (-6 grams/week). There was no evidence of a difference in single high intensity drinking episodes between practitioner and digitally delivered interventions at any time point. Effect sizes were small but could impact across a population with relatively high prevalence of hazardous and harmful drinking. Heterogeneity was a concern. Some inconsistency was indicated at 1 and 6 months, but little evidence was apparent at 12 months.

CONCLUSION: Practitioner delivered interventions for reducing hazardous and harmful alcohol consumption are more effective than digitally delivered interventions up to 6 months; at 12 months there is no evidence of a difference.