Alcohol is the most common chronic disease in trauma patients, and one of the most common in patients treated in primary care. Studies have shown that brief counselling intervention in trauma centres and primary care clinics are efficient in reducing drinking and its related illness and injury. Unfortunately, although trauma centres and primary care clinics are ideal settings for such brief alcohol interventions, routine screening and brief counselling for alcohol problems is not commonly practised by physicians in these settings. The goal of this project was to address alcohol abuse at the individual patient level and at the community level. At the individual patient level, the project encouraged physicians to perform a protocol for brief alcohol interventions to address alcohol abuse. This protocol consists of screening for alcohol problems, brief counselling, and referral. This was primarily done by offering training in this protocol to physicians, residents and medical students. The project focused on the pacific north-western United States (Washington, Alaska, Montana, and Idaho). (Author/publisher)
Abstract