Veterans Administration hospital staff attitudes toward alcoholism

Health Professionals' Attitudes Toward Alcoholism and Associated Issues: A Comparative Study in a Brazilian Sample

Attitudes of health professionals have an effect on the quality of care provided to individuals with alcohol use disorders. The identification of health professionals' attitudes supports strategies that promote positive attitudes and improve the quality of the health care provided to this population. This is a descriptive cross-sectional study with 831 health professionals. Data were collected using the scale of attitudes toward alcohol, alcohol use disorder, and individuals with alcohol use disorders. Pearson test, Analysis of Variance, and Bayesian linear regression were used to analyze the data. There was a predominance of positive attitudes among all professional categories, with the exception of attitudes toward the etiology of alcohol use disorder and attitudes toward alcoholic beverages and their use. The respondent's age and professional category influenced his or her attitudes toward alcohol and associated issues. There are differences in the attitudes of professionals from different professional groups, which may contribute to inconsistencies in the care provided for individuals with alcohol use disorders. The results of our study suggest that strategies regarding the training and continuing education of health professionals that consider the particularities of each profession be instituted to improve professionals' attitudes, thus improving their ability to address issues related to alcohol use disorders and encourage alcoholic patients to engage in treatment.

Nurses' attitudes toward substance misusers. II. Experiments and studies comparing nurses to other groups

Experimental investigations of nurses consistently indicate that a patent labeled as a substance misuser is perceived far more negatively across a range of personal attributes than an identical patient who is not so labeled. Comparative evaluations suggest that nurses are less tolerant of social drinking and drug use and are more morally condemnatory of the chemically dependent than are other health-care professionals.

Alcoholism Consultation-Liaison: an effective way to reach alcoholics and teach professionals

Alcoholism is a very common disease in general hospital patients. Yet negative attitudes toward alcoholism and the need for education among professionals often lead to underdiagnosis and inadequate referral. The author describes how consultation with liaison can be effective in reaching more alcoholic patients and teaching professionals. He points out that while this has commonly been accepted in general psychiatry, the liaison approach seems to have rarely been utilized to its fullest potential in the alcoholism field. One alcoholism consultation-liaison service is presented in detail; encouraging findings and future directions are discussed.