Consulta de enfermagem a pacientes alcoolistas em um programa de assistência ao alcoolismo

objective: to describe and analyse the nurses？ activities in consultation with alcoholics from the alcoholism assistance program (paa) of hospital universitário cassiano ant？nio moraes (hucam) in universidade federal do espírito santo (ufes). methods: the study was developed in paa/hucam/ufes, through a survey of nurse consultations (ce) carried out with alcoholic patients from january to december 2002. the data was collected through a questionnaire which contained identification data and nurses？ procedures. the analysis is quantitative by descriptive statistics and qualitative by nurses consultations steps. results: 603 nurses consultations were realized (28.7% initial consultation and 71.3% follow-up consultation). the clientele profile is 28% from the metropolitan region, 94% male and 6% female; 50.6% married; 40-60 years old and 73.6% were classified with serious alcohol dependence. in the initial consultation for self care, the priority was reduction of signs and symptoms of withdrawal syndrome; and in follow-up, treatment of alcoholism and its complications. conclusions: the ce in paa/hucam/ufes has been developed through first attending to basic human needs (horta？s theory), and then concentrating the nurses？ attention on self care (orem？s theory). in such way the nurse facilitates change conditions through continued and qualified information that aims to maintain abstinence and reformulate a life style that results in the patient？s success in society.