A study published in the Drug and Alcohol Review journal explores the limited extent of routine brief interventions in the UK, despite extensive evidence of their effectiveness. However the report suggests the recent publication of the NICE alcohol prevention guidance should act as a significant driver as the first clinical guidelines for practitioners.
The abstract of the study states:
'After 25 years of accumulated evidence in this field, brief alcohol interventions have yet to make a significant impact on routine clinical practice. While it is imperative to have good science to make the case for brief intervention delivery, this work is in vain if practitioners are unwilling or unable to use these interventions with their patients. Evidence from the alcohol field and other clinical areas indicates that national prioritisation of brief alcohol intervention activity, by a body, such as NICE, is likely to be a key driver of implementation by practitioners.'
Brief interventions have been a key plank of the Department of Health's (DoH) alcohol strategy, described as 'Identification and Brief Advice' (IBA). Online training, guidance and resources on IBA can be found here on the Alcohol Learning Centre, including the paper 'Clarifying Brief Interventions'.
Whilst GPs are incentivised to deliver brief interventions through a Direct Enhanced Service (DES) and supporting framework, a study released earlier this year identified a number of issues facing delivery in Primary Care. Scotland has set a national target to support routine delivery. The SIPS research trial will soon be releasing final findings which will inform effective practice for specific settings including Primary Care, A&E and Criminal Justice. Past research can be found here from the Findings bank or the ALC.
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