Screening and Following Up Harmful Alcohol Use “… is Not Necessarily Your Primary Focus”: A Qualitative Study Exploring Health Professionals’ Experiences Addressing Harmful Alcohol Use in a Norwegian Hospital

Thomas Tjelta,1 Stig Tore Bogstrand,2– 4 Anners Lerdal,5,6 Linda Elise Couëssurel Wüsthoff,7,8 Hilde Marie Erøy Edvardsen,2 Aud Johannessen1,9 1Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, University of South-Eastern Norway, Porsgrunn, Norway; 2Section of Drug Abuse Research, Department of Forensic Scienc...

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Main Authors: Tjelta T, Bogstrand ST, Lerdal A, Wüsthoff LEC, Edvardsen HME, Johannessen A
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Dove Medical Press 2024-11-01
Series:Journal of Multidisciplinary Healthcare
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Online Access:https://www.dovepress.com/screening-and-following-up-harmful-alcohol-use--is-not-necessarily-you-peer-reviewed-fulltext-article-JMDH
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author Tjelta T
Bogstrand ST
Lerdal A
Wüsthoff LEC
Edvardsen HME
Johannessen A
author_facet Tjelta T
Bogstrand ST
Lerdal A
Wüsthoff LEC
Edvardsen HME
Johannessen A
author_sort Tjelta T
collection DOAJ
description Thomas Tjelta,1 Stig Tore Bogstrand,2– 4 Anners Lerdal,5,6 Linda Elise Couëssurel Wüsthoff,7,8 Hilde Marie Erøy Edvardsen,2 Aud Johannessen1,9 1Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, University of South-Eastern Norway, Porsgrunn, Norway; 2Section of Drug Abuse Research, Department of Forensic Science, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway; 3Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Nursing and Health Promotion, Acute and Critical Illness, Oslo Metropolitan University, Oslo, Norway; 4Department of Public Health Science, Institute of Health and Society, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway; 5Department of Interdisciplinary Health Sciences, Institute of Health and Society, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway; 6Department of Research, Lovisenberg Diaconal Hospital, Oslo, Norway; 7Unit for Clinical Research on Addictions, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway; 8Norwegian Centre for Addiction Research, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway; 9The Norwegian National Centre for Ageing and Health, Vestfold Hospital Trust, Tønsberg, NorwayCorrespondence: Thomas Tjelta, Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, University of South-Eastern Norway, Kjølnes Ring 56, Porsgrunn, 3918, Norway, Tel +47 35 95 29 44, Email Thomas.Tjelta@usn.noIntroduction: Alcohol use remains a leading cause of excess mortality and morbidity worldwide, and identifying and following up harmful alcohol use represents a key component of alcohol harm reduction policies. This article explores health professionals’ experiences implementing these policies in a Norwegian hospital.Aim: To explore health professionals’ views and experiences of systematic screening and tailored follow-up of harmful and hazardous alcohol use in a Norwegian hospital.Methods: We conducted semi-structured interviews with 13 specialty registrars and nurses working in the emergency department and observation ward of a hospital in Oslo, Norway. Interviews were carried out between May and December 2022, coded using NVivo v.14 and analyzed thematically.Results: We identified three themes: (i) standardized and clinical assessment, referring to tensions between standardized and clinical alcohol risk assessment; (ii) formal and informal treatment guidelines, encompassing the informal patient care practices enacted in the emergency department and on the wards, and; (iii) training delivery and barriers to implementation, referring to the training penetration rate and identified need for “clear and simple” alcohol treatment guidelines.Conclusion: This study highlights tensions between alcohol-related harm and alcohol-related norms as these pertain to screening and following up harmful and hazardous alcohol use in a Norwegian hospital. Results suggest training should focus on zero alcohol recommendations, the use of assessment tools, the acceptability of screening to patients and “clear and simple” patient follow-up procedures.Keywords: alcohol, brief intervention, health policy, health promotion, screening
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spelling doaj-art-c4ea51094dff44c28a173a031efa0f452024-11-14T17:37:43ZengDove Medical PressJournal of Multidisciplinary Healthcare1178-23902024-11-01Volume 175189519897275Screening and Following Up Harmful Alcohol Use “… is Not Necessarily Your Primary Focus”: A Qualitative Study Exploring Health Professionals’ Experiences Addressing Harmful Alcohol Use in a Norwegian HospitalTjelta TBogstrand STLerdal AWüsthoff LECEdvardsen HMEJohannessen AThomas Tjelta,1 Stig Tore Bogstrand,2– 4 Anners Lerdal,5,6 Linda Elise Couëssurel Wüsthoff,7,8 Hilde Marie Erøy Edvardsen,2 Aud Johannessen1,9 1Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, University of South-Eastern Norway, Porsgrunn, Norway; 2Section of Drug Abuse Research, Department of Forensic Science, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway; 3Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Nursing and Health Promotion, Acute and Critical Illness, Oslo Metropolitan University, Oslo, Norway; 4Department of Public Health Science, Institute of Health and Society, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway; 5Department of Interdisciplinary Health Sciences, Institute of Health and Society, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway; 6Department of Research, Lovisenberg Diaconal Hospital, Oslo, Norway; 7Unit for Clinical Research on Addictions, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway; 8Norwegian Centre for Addiction Research, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway; 9The Norwegian National Centre for Ageing and Health, Vestfold Hospital Trust, Tønsberg, NorwayCorrespondence: Thomas Tjelta, Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, University of South-Eastern Norway, Kjølnes Ring 56, Porsgrunn, 3918, Norway, Tel +47 35 95 29 44, Email Thomas.Tjelta@usn.noIntroduction: Alcohol use remains a leading cause of excess mortality and morbidity worldwide, and identifying and following up harmful alcohol use represents a key component of alcohol harm reduction policies. This article explores health professionals’ experiences implementing these policies in a Norwegian hospital.Aim: To explore health professionals’ views and experiences of systematic screening and tailored follow-up of harmful and hazardous alcohol use in a Norwegian hospital.Methods: We conducted semi-structured interviews with 13 specialty registrars and nurses working in the emergency department and observation ward of a hospital in Oslo, Norway. Interviews were carried out between May and December 2022, coded using NVivo v.14 and analyzed thematically.Results: We identified three themes: (i) standardized and clinical assessment, referring to tensions between standardized and clinical alcohol risk assessment; (ii) formal and informal treatment guidelines, encompassing the informal patient care practices enacted in the emergency department and on the wards, and; (iii) training delivery and barriers to implementation, referring to the training penetration rate and identified need for “clear and simple” alcohol treatment guidelines.Conclusion: This study highlights tensions between alcohol-related harm and alcohol-related norms as these pertain to screening and following up harmful and hazardous alcohol use in a Norwegian hospital. Results suggest training should focus on zero alcohol recommendations, the use of assessment tools, the acceptability of screening to patients and “clear and simple” patient follow-up procedures.Keywords: alcohol, brief intervention, health policy, health promotion, screeninghttps://www.dovepress.com/screening-and-following-up-harmful-alcohol-use--is-not-necessarily-you-peer-reviewed-fulltext-article-JMDHalcoholbrief interventionhealth policyhealth promotionscreening
spellingShingle Tjelta T
Bogstrand ST
Lerdal A
Wüsthoff LEC
Edvardsen HME
Johannessen A
Screening and Following Up Harmful Alcohol Use “… is Not Necessarily Your Primary Focus”: A Qualitative Study Exploring Health Professionals’ Experiences Addressing Harmful Alcohol Use in a Norwegian Hospital
Journal of Multidisciplinary Healthcare
alcohol
brief intervention
health policy
health promotion
screening
title Screening and Following Up Harmful Alcohol Use “… is Not Necessarily Your Primary Focus”: A Qualitative Study Exploring Health Professionals’ Experiences Addressing Harmful Alcohol Use in a Norwegian Hospital
title_full Screening and Following Up Harmful Alcohol Use “… is Not Necessarily Your Primary Focus”: A Qualitative Study Exploring Health Professionals’ Experiences Addressing Harmful Alcohol Use in a Norwegian Hospital
title_fullStr Screening and Following Up Harmful Alcohol Use “… is Not Necessarily Your Primary Focus”: A Qualitative Study Exploring Health Professionals’ Experiences Addressing Harmful Alcohol Use in a Norwegian Hospital
title_full_unstemmed Screening and Following Up Harmful Alcohol Use “… is Not Necessarily Your Primary Focus”: A Qualitative Study Exploring Health Professionals’ Experiences Addressing Harmful Alcohol Use in a Norwegian Hospital
title_short Screening and Following Up Harmful Alcohol Use “… is Not Necessarily Your Primary Focus”: A Qualitative Study Exploring Health Professionals’ Experiences Addressing Harmful Alcohol Use in a Norwegian Hospital
title_sort screening and following up harmful alcohol use ldquo hellip is not necessarily your primary focus rdquo a qualitative study exploring health professionals rsquo experiences addressing harmful alcohol use in a norwegian hospital
topic alcohol
brief intervention
health policy
health promotion
screening
url https://www.dovepress.com/screening-and-following-up-harmful-alcohol-use--is-not-necessarily-you-peer-reviewed-fulltext-article-JMDH
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