Citation

Gassman RA. J. Subst. Use 2007; 12(3): ePub.

Affiliation

Indiana Prevention Resource Center and Department of Applied Health Science, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2007, Informa Healthcare)

DOI

10.1080/14659890701237215

PMID

24298204

PMCID

PMC3843960

Abstract

The alcohol health services literature suggests that a potential problem with promoting secondary prevention is an existing educational focus on alcohol dependency. AIMS: This study explores practitioner-level predictors of health professionals' self-reported detection and management activities in an effort to inform this question. PARTICIPANTS: The participants consisted of a random sample of licensed physicians and nurse practitioners in a northern California county. MEASUREMENT: Participants completed a self-administered questionnaire on beliefs and practices regarding patients with alcohol problems and at-risk drinkers. FINDINGS: The results indicate that prior alcohol education predicted clinical practices to address known or suspected drinking problems, but not those at-risk or without observable symptoms. In addition, stigmatizing beliefs about problem drinkers discouraged use of blood tests even when awareness of a drinking problem existed. CONCLUSIONS: The conclusions are that existing models of alcohol education appear to convey a tertiary focus, and do not cover secondary prevention sufficiently to challenge the deficits and beliefs that discourage early detection and intervention.

Language: en