Do doctors understand alcohol units?

Abstract

-A survey of 445 doctors in Yorkshire was conducted to ascertain their knowledge and awareness of alcohol units. Only 58% had some knowledge, and general practitioners scored better (69%) than hospital doctors (45%). However, 14% of doctors had no knowledge at all about alcohol units. Those who did not drink alcohol knew less than those who did and trainee doctors had significantly less knowledge than more senior physicians. Junior doctors who often deal with alcohol-related problems in their day-to-day hospital work had a poor knowledge. There needs to be a greater emphasis on alcohol and alcohol-related problems (including how to calculate alcohol units) in undergraduate and postgraduate curricula to improve doctors' knowledge and awareness of this important subject.

Health Professionals’ Alcohol-Related Professional Practices and the Relationship between Their Personal Alcohol Attitudes and Behavior and Professional Practices: A Systematic Review

“…Thus, it is important to identify and address potential barriers that may be preventing health professionals from raising alcohol-related concerns with their patients. More emphasis upon how to deal with alcohol-related problems is needed in both undergraduate and postgraduate programs so that prospective and current health professionals are equipped with the knowledge, awareness and confidence in addressing alcohol-related issues as part of their daily professional practices [ 75 ].…”

Acceptability of screening for early detection of liver disease in hazardous/harmful drinkers in primary care

“…38 This is likely compounded by confused messages in the popular media 39 and a dearth of widespread and consistent GP-based education and counselling. 40 Possibly arising from this confusion, participants described the difficulty of knowing what they were meant to adhere to in terms of safe drinking, relying instead on very individual definitional criteria and safe drinking guidance grounded in their own beliefs and experiences, and this has been noted elsewhere. 41 This suggests that there is a need for a consistent, coherent and understandable policy on safe drinking.…”

Update on the management of alcohol use disorders

“…There appears to be a positive correlation between clinicians' personal alcohol consumption (Das 2009, 2014) and being more prepared to ask about, and manage, patients' alcohol problems. The same was found in those who engaged in more CPD about alcohol (Kaner 2001).…”