Abstract
Results of a telephone survey of 103 Sydney general medical practitioners are reported. General practitioners were asked to indicate how much alcohol male and female patients would need to be consuming to warrant their intervention. The mean levels at which general practitioners stated they would intervene were 5.1 drinks per day for male patients and 3.8 drinks per day for female patients. These mean scores fall within the consumption ranges identified by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) as being hazardous and are below the levels specified as harmful. While the results of the present study indicate some consistency between general practitioners' views and NHMRC recommended levels for low-risk alcohol consumption, there were important discrepancies. For instance, using NHMRC categories of risk, general practitioners would intervene for female patients at significantly higher levels (P less than 0.05) of associated risk than they would for male patients. In addition, many general practitioners did not differentiate between the quantities of alcohol consumed for which they would intervene for male and female patients; this is an area needing attention. While the results indicate that some general practitioners have the basic knowledge required for involvement in detection and early intervention activities for alcohol-related problems, future training programmes should address the fact that two-thirds of general practitioners either overestimate or underestimate the level of patient alcohol consumption at which it is appropriate to intervene.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.