NCT02968186

Implementing Screening and Brief Interventions for Excessive Drinkers in Primary Health Care

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 222 (actual)
• Sponsor: Agrupamento de Centros de Saúde de Dão Lafões · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

The objective of this study is to investigate the efficacy of an implementation program specifically designed to increase alcohol screening and brief intervention rates in primary health care.

Detailed description

Alcohol is an important risk factor for several diseases, even when consumed moderately. Screening and advising at-risk drinkers to cut-down is a highly effective and cost-effective intervention when conducted in primary healthcare settings. However, these interventions are seldom implemented at the primary care level. Twelve out of the 26 primary health care units of the Dão Lafões Grouping of Primary Health Care Centres will be randomized to two groups: the intervention arm will receive the new implementation program; the control group will be on a waiting list for receiving the implementation program and will receive the intervention after the testing phase of the trial is completed. The study will last for one year, starting in January 2017. The implementation program was designed in order to overcome known barriers for implementing alcohol screening and brief advice in primary health care. The Behaviour Change Wheel and the Theoretical Domains Framework were used to pinpoint the constructs and behaviour change techniques most suited to address the barriers in order to achieve practice changes.

Conditions

• Alcohol-Related Disorders

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Implementation program	Health professionals in the intervention arm will receive up to four training sessions in the first three months of the implementation period. Practice support will be continuously available throughout the project. Posters specifically designed for this project will be added to the primary health care units aiming to facilitate eliciting alcohol issues during the consultations, and to help professionals remembering to conduct alcohol screening and brief intervention. Leaflets to be handed-in to patients were also specifically produced for this project, aiming to aid professionals in advising at-risk drinkers to cut down. The research team will schedule with each primary health care unit regular visits for feedback on the progress of the program.

Timeline

• Start date: 2016-11-01
• Primary completion: 2018-03-01
• Completion: 2018-07-01
• First posted: 2016-11-18
• Last updated: 2020-01-13

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Portugal