Emergency physician attitudes concerning intervention for alcohol abuse/dependence delivered in the emergency department: A brief report

Emergency Medicine (EM) physicians frequently see patients with alcohol abu se or dependence (AA/AD). Brief interventions delivered in the Emergency De partment (ED) have been advocated for these patients, however, little is kn own regarding EM physician willingness to support such interventions. We co nducted a study to determine EM physicians' attitudes toward the use of int erventions for AA/AD in the ED. All members of the Michigan College of Emer gency Physicians (n = 569) were mailed a survey to assess their attitudes t oward the use of intervention for AA/AD in the ED. Of the 257 respondents ( 45.9%), a total of 76% agreed that AA/AD is a treatable illness and only 15 % would not agree to support of ED interventions. Both supporters and non-s upporters thought: that the lack of sufficient time was an impediment to tr eating AA/AD in the ED. Our study suggests that the majority of ED physicia ns would support the implementation of brief intervention for AA/AD in the ED. [Article copies available for a fee from The Haworth Document Delivery Service: 1-800-342-9678. E-mail address: getinfo@ haworthpressinc.com <Webs ite: http://www.haworthpressinc.com>].