Research released today at the British Pharmaceutical conference found that harzardous drinkers reduced their weekly alcohol intake by 10% over a three month period, having received information and motivational counselling from their pharmacist. The drinking was identified as hazardous or otherwise using the AUDIT screening tool, and the reduction was measured using week-long drink diaries taken at the beginning and end of the study period. The researchers conclude that community pharmacy could provide alcohol screening and brief intervention services, and could make a useful contribution to the Government's Choosing Health objectives on sensible drinking.
A few points spring to mind. This study used volunteers; what would be the scope for targetted screening, ie on people presenting with conditions commonly associated with alcohol misuse, such as gastritis? Could pharmacy based interventions be tied into local enhanced services (LES - see previous post) for alcohol, and if so, could they perhaps be more involved in community detox (particularly ambulatory detox)? Clearly local specialist alcohol services would need to be involved in any screening programme, to pick up referrals for people needing more intensive support - how would that be organised? (The mighty CNWL Substance Misuse Service was involved in this particular study.)
More details of the research are here (p17), and in this Royal British Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain press release.
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