title: Screening and intervention for alcohol and illicit drug abuse:a survey of internal medicine housestaff.
abstract: This study attempts to determine how internal medicine housestaff screen and intervene for problematic alcohol and illicit drug use, as well as identify factors correlating with favorable practices. A cross-sectional survey was administered to 93 medical housestaff. Of 64 (69%) respondents, 94% reported routinely screening new patients for alcohol or illicit drug use, while only 52% routinely quantified alcohol consumption and 28% routinely used a screening instrument. Housestaff were unfamiliar with national guidelines and felt unprepared to diagnose substance use disorders, particularly prescription drug abuse. Most routinely counseled patients with alcohol (89%) or illicit-drug problems (91%), although only a third of these patients were referred for formal treatment. More thorough screening practices were associated with greater treatment optimism, while favorable referral practices were associated with greater optimism about 12-step program benefit and difficulty with management. These findings suggest areas to be addressed in residency curricula on substance abuse.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Division on Substance Abuse, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY, USA. eg2009@columbia.edu
authors.forename: Erik W
authors.initials: EW
authors.lastname: Gunderson
authors.forename: Frances R
authors.initials: FR
authors.lastname: Levin
authors.forename: Lawrence
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Smith
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000517:prevention & control*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006282:Health Personnel; D006801:Humans; D013287:Illicit Drugs; D007388:Internal Medicine; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods*; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000517:prevention & control; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
chemical_list: D013287:Illicit Drugs