Improving alcohol screening and brief intervention delivery in general practices: an investigation of current practice, barriers and solutions

Reducing excessive and problematic alcohol consumption is one of the biggest challenges for public health due to the damaging effects of alcohol on both physical and mental health. Given that a large proportion of the general population has a general practitioner, GP practices are extremely well-suited to conducting alcohol screening tests and short-term interventions (ASKI). However, research has shown that alcohol use is rarely discussed and that alcohol abuse is rarely registered by GP offices. This despite the fact that many patients are perfectly comfortable discussing their alcohol use. The deployment of mental health assistants does not appear to increase the number of registrations. An implementation programme aimed at increasing knowledge, motivation and support among GPs has the potential to improve alcohol screenings and short-term interventions, but further research is necessary, given how complex and challenging it is to implement ASKI in GP offices