Attitudes and beliefs of emergency department staff regarding alcohol-related presentations

Indig, Devon; Copeland, Jan; Conigrave, Katherine M.; Rotenko, Irene

doi:10.1016/j.ienj.2008.08.002

« Previous Next »International Emergency Nursing
Volume 17, Issue 1 , Pages 23-30, January 2009

Attitudes and beliefs of emergency department staff regarding alcohol-related presentations

Devon Indig, BSc, MPH
- National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, 22-32 King Street, Randwick, NSW 2031, Australia
- Corresponding author. Tel.: +612 8372 3010; fax: +612 9344 4151.
Jan Copeland, MAPS, Ph.D.
- National Cannabis Prevention and Information Centre, 22-32 King Street, Randwick, NSW 2031, Australia
- Tel.: +612 9385 0231; fax: +612 9385 0222.
Katherine M. Conigrave, FAChAM, FAFPHM, Ph.D.
- National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, 22-32 King Street, Randwick, NSW 2031, Australia
- Drug Health Services, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Missenden Road, Camperdown, NSW 2050, Australia
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
- Tel.: +612 9515 8650; fax: +612 9515 8970.
Irene Rotenko, MB MB (Syd) FACEM
- Prince of Wales Hospital Emergency Department, Barker Street, Randwick, NSW 2031, Australia
- Tel.: +612 9382 3901; fax: +612 9382 3660.

Received 10 June 2008; received in revised form 17 August 2008; accepted 19 August 2008.

Abstract

Objective

This study examined emergency department (ED) staff attitudes and beliefs about alcohol-related ED presentations in order to recommend improved detection and brief intervention strategies.

Methods

The survey was conducted at two inner-Sydney hospital EDs in 2006 to explore ED clinical staff’s attitudes, current practice and barriers for managing alcohol-related ED presentations. The sample included N=78 ED staff (54% nurses, 46% doctors), representing a 30% response rate.

Results

Management of alcohol-related problems was not routine among ED staff, with only 5% usually formally screening for alcohol problems, only 16% usually conducting brief interventions, and only 27% usually providing a referral to specialist treatment services. Over 85% of ED staff indicated that lack of patient motivation made providing alcohol interventions very difficult. Significant predictors of good self-reported practice among ED staff for patients with alcohol problems included: being a doctor, being confident and having a sense of responsibility towards managing patients with alcohol-related problems.

Conclusions

This study reported that many staff lack the confidence or sense of clinical responsibility to fully and appropriately manage ED patients with alcohol-related problems. ED staff appear to require additional training, resources and support to enhance their management of patients with alcohol-related problems.

Keywords: Alcohol, Emergency department, Staff, Attitudes