Online video trains clinicians to help patients who drink too much
Editor's note: According to data from the CDC, nearly 68% of the adult population in the Northeast United States are current drinkers. While research shows that moderate alcohol consumption has potential health benefits, misuse of alcohol is responsible for extensive morbidity and mortality. Nearly 50% of all auto fatalities involve alcohol; 47% of industrial injuries are related to alcohol consumption and alcoholism; and nearly 25% of patients admitted to general hospitals have alcohol problems or are being diagnosed for alcohol related conditions. According to Drugs-Rehab.org, alcohol represents the number one drug problem in the United States. The following article describes a new online program that helps clinicians develop the necessary skills for screening and counseling patients with or at risk for alcohol problems. It comes from the press office of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.
A new, interactive video training program demonstrates quick and effective strategies for screening patients for heavy drinking and helping them to cut down or quit. The online program is presented by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). Nurses and physicians who view the program have the opportunity to earn continuing education credits.
"The video scenarios demonstrate evidence-based techniques for assessing and managing at-risk drinking and alcohol use disorders," says NIAAA Director Ting-Kai Li, MD "We want to make these techniques widely available to clinicians so that more people with alcohol use problems will get the help they need." Called Video Case Studies: Helping Patients Who Drink Too Much, the program is available through the NIAAA website.
The online program is based on the NIAAA Clinician's Guide. It features four 10-minute video case scenarios. Each segment is led by an expert clinician who offers insights and engages viewers in considering different strategies for treatment and follow-up. Continuing education credit for physicians and nurses will be provided through Medscape.com.
"The videos model clinicians interacting with patients with different levels of alcohol involvement and who are in different stages of readiness to change," says Mark Willenbring, MD, director of NIAAA's Division of Treatment and Recovery Research. "The video scenarios take place in several different settings. [They] show that clinicians in primary care, mental health, and other specialties are all in a prime position to make a difference."
In addition to the video case studies, the program includes a 15- to 20-minute tutorial on the NIAAA Clinicians Guide. With video narration and animated graphics, this section teaches clinicians how to:
- ask patients about alcohol use
- assess heavy drinkers for alcohol use disorders
- help at-risk drinkers to cut back to safer drinking levels
- help patients with alcohol use disorders to quit, including treating them with newer, effective medications for dependence when indicated
The tutorial and case studies require about an hour to complete.
"As physicians, we see the serious impact that excessive alcohol use can have on patients, their families and public safety," says Ronald M. Davis, MD, president of the American Medical Association. "Scientific evidence shows if we can prevent alcohol consumption from becoming a problem, we can help stop thousands, even millions, of alcohol-related diseases and injuries. The AMA encourages physicians to learn how to conduct screening and brief interventions for at-risk drinking behavior and how to identify and treat alcoholism."
The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism is part of the National Institutes of Health. It is the primary US agency for conducting and supporting research on the causes, consequences, prevention, and treatment of alcohol abuse, alcoholism, and alcohol problems. It disseminates research findings to general, professional, and academic audiences. Additional alcohol research information and publications are available on its website.
Editor's note: From time to time, On Call publishes personal essays from its readers that offer a personal perspective on what it means to be a healthcare professional. You can submit an essay up to 1,000 words in length (it can be a lot shorter too) for consideration by sending an e-mail with the essay attached to joesaling@bellsouth.net.
