@article{ref1,
title="Early at-risk alcohol intake. Definitions and physicians' role in modifying behaviour",
journal="Canadian family physician",
year="1997",
author="Herbert, C. and Bass, F.",
volume="43",
number="",
pages="639-644",
abstract="OBJECTIVE: To learn from a sample of general practitioners and their patients how they define early at-risk alcohol intake and what they perceive the physician's role in helping patients with early at-risk alcohol intake to be. DESIGN: Survey questionnaire. SETTING: Family practices in Kamloops, BC, and the Department of Family Practice at Vancouver General Hospital. PARTICIPANTS: Thirty-one family physicians and 860 of their patients. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Demographic variables and definitions of alcohol intake, opinions on appropriate interventions for physicians. RESULTS: Patients' median estimate for the limit of early, at-risk drinking for a 75-kg man was two drinks per day an 11 drinks per week; doctors' estimate was 1.5 drinks per day and nine drinks per week. For a 55-kg woman, patients set risk to begin at 1.5 drinks per day and nine drinks per week; doctors set it at 1.2 per day and eight per week. However, patients thought there should be 4.3 alcohol-free days each week and doctors thought 3.5, both answers inconsistent with the daily and weekly limits set. Most (85%) patients and 97% of doctors think doctors should ask about drinking behaviour; yet only 42% of these patients recalled ever being asked how much they drank. CONCLUSIONS: Both physicians and patients have stringent definitions of early at-risk drinking and believe physicians should intervene. Physicians appear to be intervening less often than expected.<p /><p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0008-350X",
doi="",
url="http://dx.doi.org/"
}