Effectiveness of strategies to implement brief alcohol intervention in primary healthcare. A systematic review.
OBJECTIVE
To review systematically the available literature on implementation of brief alcohol interventions in primary healthcare in order to determine the effectiveness of the implementation efforts by the health are providers. KEY QUESTION: To what extent have the efforts to implement brief alcohol interventions in primary healthcare environments been successful?


METHODS
Literature search from Medline, Cinahl, PsychLIT, Cochrane.


METHODS
Primary healthcare.


METHODS
A total of 11 studies encompassing 921 GPs, 266 nurses, 88 medical students, and 44 "non-physicians" from Europe, the USA, and Australia.


METHODS
Material utilization, screening, and brief intervention rates.


CONCLUSIONS
Intervention effectiveness (material utilization, screening, and brief intervention rates) generally increased with the intensity of the intervention effort, i.e. the amount of training and/or support provided. Nevertheless, the overall effectiveness was rather modest. However, the studies examined were too heterogeneous, not scientifically rigorous enough, and applied too brief follow-up times to provide conclusive answers.
Nilsen
Per
P
Department of Health and Society, Division of Social Medicine and Public Health Science, Linköping University, Sweden.
Aalto
Mauri
M
Bendtsen
Preben
P
Seppä
Kaija
K
D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000523:psychology; D019973:Alcohol-Related Disorders / Q000517:prevention & control*; D003142:Communication; D003376:Counseling; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006293:Health Promotion; D006801:Humans; D009723:Nurse-Patient Relations; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D010358:Patient Participation; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D011320:Primary Health Care; D012307:Risk Factors