%0 Journal Article
%T Effectiveness of skills-based training using the Drink-less package to increase family practitioner confidence in intervening for alcohol use disorders
%A Elizabeth M Proude
%A Katherine M Conigrave
%A Paul S Haber
%J BMC Medical Education
%D 2006
%I BioMed Central
%R 10.1186/1472-6920-6-8
%X FPs in urban and rural New South Wales were invited to training sessions in their local area. An introductory overview preceded a practical skills- based session, using the Drink-less package. Participants completed before and after evaluation forms.While 49% (CI 43 ¨C 55) of the attending FPs indicated at baseline that they felt confident in identifying at-risk drinkers, this proportion rose to 90% (95% CI: 87 ¨C 93) post-session, and they also reported increases in confidence from 36% (95% CI: 31 ¨C 41) to 90% in their ability to advise patients. Urban FPs reported lower levels of confidence than rural FPs, both pre- and post-session.Training sessions in the Drink-less intervention resulted in increased self-reported confidence in detection and brief intervention for alcohol problems. Further research is needed to determine the duration of this effect and its influence on practice behaviour.The misuse of alcohol is second only to tobacco as a leading cause of preventable death in Australia, [1] and one in ten adults are at long-term risk of harm from their alcohol consumption [2-4]. There is good evidence that brief interventions are effective in reducing alcohol consumption and related problems, particularly in non-dependent drinkers, [5-8] and are a cost-effective technique [9]. However, many physicians do not routinely screen or advise patients [10].The first point of contact with the health system for a patient is typically the family practitioner (FP). Eighty-five per cent of the Australian population attend a family practice at least annually and people who seek help for a drinking problem are most likely to talk to an FP first [11,12]. Therefore the opportunity exists to detect and intervene with people at risk of alcohol-related harm before complications occur and drinking patterns become entrenched.However, FPs remain reluctant to undertake systematic screening and intervention for risky alcohol consumption [13]. Detection rates for alcohol problems have rem
%U http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6920/6/8