Addictive disorders in an Accident and Emergency department : how do caregivers perceive their therapeutic attitudes? - an exploratory study | Insight Medical Publishing

Background : Addictive disorders are more prevalent in emergency department (ED) than in the general population; about 20% of alcohol tests on individuals in emergency care prove positive. ED are strategic places to identify addictive disorders, and identification is closely linked to therapeutic attitudes. Aims: This study explores ED staff attitudes to these individuals across a range of roles. Methods: Data were gathered from the ED of a general hospital in Brittany (France). We used a short questionnaire, adapted from previous, similar French studies. Results: 25 persons completed the first questionnaire. The results of a self-administered questionnaire on attitudes showed there is interest in our study. It helped us to identify attitudes perceptions and limits and to initiate discussion on types of therapeutic behaviour in emergency care towards individuals presenting with addictive disorders. Conclusions: Many studies confirm that screening and brief intervention for alcohol misuse and alcohol use disorders are important in order to organize harm reduction, prevention and care. However, we showed that there are significant limitations to screening which are not only linked to biomedical skills but, as we have shown here, also to personal feelings and perceptions about alcohol. We also discussed our study limitations and different ways of improving addiction care in the Accident & Emergency department with regard to the literature