PLoS ONE (Jan 2019)

Knowledge, attitudes and preventive practices of primary health care professionals towards alcohol use: A national, cross-sectional study.

  • Esperanza Romero-Rodríguez,
  • Luis Ángel Pérula de Torres,
  • Fernando Leiva-Cepas,
  • José Ángel Fernández García,
  • Sara Fernández López,
  • María Martín-Rabadán Muro,
  • Francisco Camarelles Guillem,
  • Ana Roldán Villalobos,
  • Collaborative Group Alco-AP

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0216199
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 14, no. 5
p. e0216199

Abstract

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IntroductionPrimary care (PC) professionals' knowledge about alcohol use has been identified as one of the barriers PC providers face in their clinic. Both PC professionals' level of training and attitude are crucial in the clinical practice regarding alcohol use.ObjectiveTo evaluate the knowledge, attitude, and preventive practices of Spanish PC physicians and nurses towards alcohol use.DesignAn observational, descriptive, cross-sectional, multi-center study.MethodologyLocation: PC centers of the Spanish National Health System (NHS). Participants: PC physicians and nurses selected randomly from health care centers, and by sending an e-mail to semFYC and SEMERGEN members. Healthcare providers completed an online survey on knowledge, attitude, and follow-up recommendations for reducing alcohol intake. A descriptive, bivariate, and multivariate statistical analysis was conducted (pResultsParticipants: 1,760 healthcare providers completed the survey (75.6% [95% CI 73.5-77.6] family physicians; 11.4% [95% CI 9.9-12.9] medical residents; and 12.5% [95% CI 10.9-14.1] nurses), with a mean age of 44.7 (SD 11.24, range: 26-64, 95% CI: 47.2-48.2). Knowledge was higher in family physicians (pConclusionsPC providers' knowledge and preventive practices regarding alcohol use are scarce, hence specific training strategies to increase their knowledge and improve their attitude and skills with regard to this health problem should be considered a healthcare policy priority.