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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.
Acknowledgements
This study received support from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (Grant No. R01 AA11713). Thanks to Dr Scott Long, at the Department of Sociology, Indiana University for assisting with the data analysis and to Eric Martin at the Indiana Prevention Resource Center for his editorial help. Thank you to all who participated in the study.