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Attempted Referral as Intervention for Problem Drinking in the General Hospital
Author(s) -
ELVY G. A.,
WELLS J. E.,
BAIRD K. A.
Publication year - 1988
Publication title -
british journal of addiction
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.424
H-Index - 193
eISSN - 1360-0443
pISSN - 0952-0481
DOI - 10.1111/j.1360-0443.1988.tb00455.x
Subject(s) - intervention (counseling) , medicine , happiness , referral , general hospital , pediatrics , family medicine , psychiatry , psychology , social psychology
Summary Baseline data were collected on 263 general hospital patients screened as problem drinkers, who were randomly allocated to one of two groups. In one group an attempt was made to refer patients for treatment while no action was taken for the other. Both groups were followed up at 12 and 18 months. At 12 months the referred group had improved significantly more than the control group in terms of self‐reported alcohol problems, personal happiness, period since last drinking and work performance. However, these effects had diminished at 18 months, largely because of improvements in the control group after the 12‐months follow‐up, which appeared to function as an intervention. These results suggest that intervention following screening is of benefit, and that such a strategy could usefully be incorporated into normal hospital routine.