Attitudes towards managing alcohol problems in general practice - ODHIN study results for Poland

Background: Brief interventions for alcohol use are considered an effective method of reducing alcohol drinking and alcohol-attributable mortality. The aim of the study was to document the attitudes of Polish general practitioners (GPs) to alcohol and alcohol problems, and examine how these attitudes are associated with self-reported activity in managing patients for alcohol use and alcohol-related problems. Methods: A total of 276 GPs were surveyed. The questionnaire included items on the GP's reported education and training on alcohol, attitudes and self-confidence in managing alcohol problems and self-reported estimates of patient numbers managed for alcohol and alcohol problems during the previous year. In addition, potential barriers and facilitators for conducting brief interventions in GP setting were investigated. Results: More than half of GPs (55.3%) reported 6 or less patients managed for alcohol and alcohol problems during the previous year. GPs reporting higher levels of education for alcohol problems declared more emphasis on disease prevention, felt more secure in managing patients with alcohol problems and delivered a higher number of brief interventions. Discussion: Qualifications and positive experiences rather than declarations about importance and preparation towards conducting brief interventions are associated with higher number of patients managed for drinking alcohol. Conclusion: General practitioners in Poland very rarely manage patients for alcohol use and alcohol-related problems. Complex interventions, with special emphasis on training on alcohol reduction strategies, are needed to improve this situation. (C) 2015 Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology. Production and hosting by Elsevier Sp. z o.o. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).