The role of forensic medical examiners and their attitudes on delivering brief alcohol interventions in police custody.
BACKGROUND
Many drunken detainees are not receiving alcohol treatment, so the forensic medical examiner (FME) might be the only healthcare professional they see. This paper explores the possibility of British FMEs delivering brief alcohol interventions in custody suites.


METHODS
Twenty-five FMEs and 15 police officers were interviewed, using semi-structured interviews and a snowball sampling approach.


RESULTS
The main concerns expressed by FMEs regarding brief alcohol interventions were around role legitimacy, the suitability of the location and the state of the detainee. Several FMEs suggested that all drinkers would benefit from some intervention, especially young binge drinkers, drink drivers and those detained for domestic violence.


CONCLUSIONS
These findings suggest that FMEs generally require a clearer understanding of the effectiveness of brief interventions, and the wider public health implications of such 'low demand' alcohol interventions.
Best
David
D
National Addiction Centre, Maudsley Hospital/Institute of Psychiatry, London, UK.
Noble
Alison
A
Stark
Margaret
M
Marshall
E Jane
EJ
D000328:Adult; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003334:Coroners and Medical Examiners / Q000523:psychology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008131:London; D008297:Male; D010819:Physician's Role; D016495:Police; D011329:Prisoners / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011614:Psychotherapy, Brief