Raising Achievement: What Physicians Know vs. What Physicicans Do for At-Risk Drinking

This study utilized a pre-post intervention design using a survey to capture data to: 1) evaluate physicians' screening behaviors for their patients who are at-risk drinkers and diagnosed with hypertension, sleep disorder or depression, 2) learn about frustration/ confidence levels of physicians when screening/treating their patients for at-risk drinking; and 3) measure physician knowledge regarding association between at-risk drinking and hypertension, sleep disorder, and depression.

The sample for this project was drawn from the American College of Physicians' Quality Improvement Network, ACPNet. 18 primary care physicians agreed to participate. The unit of analysis for this study is the physician.

The results from the study show that 63% of physicians were aware of the association of at-risk drinking with hypertension, sleep disorder, and depression at the beginning of the study, yet their at-risk screening behavior was not reflected in the pre-intervention survey. Results indicate that the number of physicians who used a formal screening instrument increased from 7 to 10 physicians. Post-intervention data indicated an improvement in physicians' self-reported success in managing these patients and a decrease in self-reported frustration levels. Self-reported barriers include lack of: time, patient interest, and physician training to address at-risk drinking.

Alcohol use disorders and at-risk drinking are frequent in patients affected by hypertension, sleep disorder, and depression, although often underestimated. The results of the present study suggest that a combination of the educational program and changes in practice may be an effective and time-sensitive tool for the identification of patients with at-risk drinking.