2009-05-26
Summary of a publication in Swedish
The Swedish Risk Drinking Project (Riskbruksprojektet) is a national initiative aimed at increasing the awareness of health and medical care professionals of patients’ alcohol habits. In addition to knowledge, attitudes and approaches represent an important background to whether questions about alcohol are asked. In spring 2008, a questionnaire survey of alcohol habits was conducted among medical doctors, nurses and midwives. Questions were also asked about attitudes and work with alcohol prevention interventions. The study was carried out in cooperation with the national scientific associations for doctors, nurses and midwives.
The findings show that Swedish doctors report a low consumption of alcohol. Nurses and midwives both report higher alcohol consumption than the doctors. With the exception of male doctors, however, the differences in relation to the population are small. The pattern for alcohol consumption in health and medical care professionals to a large degree reflects what could be expected based on the age and education level of the different groups.
All of the professions show strong support for emphasizing alcohol and health from a medical professional perspective.
Doctors report more liberal attitudes toward alcohol than nurses and midwives. One somewhat surprising finding is that those care workers who themselves have a risky alcohol consumption are more restrictive in their outlook on alcohol policy issues than those who do not.
All three groups report that they suggest a considerably lower limit for risky consumption to their patients than that suggested by the National Institute of Public Health.
The study shows no differences in work methods between those who have and do not have risky alcohol consumption. Neither do these professionals apply different limits for risky alcohol consumption or give different advice to patients with respect to drinking alcohol for health purposes.
Initiating a motivational interview (MI) is by far the most common measure used when a patient is judged to have risky alcohol consumption. More than 40 percent of midwives and nurses have received education in motivational interviewing in the past three years. The corresponding figure for doctors is just over 25 percent.
How much education the care professionals have received in motivational interviewing has a strong impact on how often they ask patients about their drinking habits. The longer the education received, the more often they ask questions and the more effective they perceive their efforts to be.
updated Tuesday, June 09, 2009
