Alcohol and harmful drinking for healthcare providers
Key points about alcohol and harmful drinking
- This page contains information about alcohol and harmful drinking for healthcare providers.
- Alcohol is a leading cause of preventable death and morbidity globally and in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Assessment and management of alcohol misuse by primary care(external link) BPAC, NZ, 2018
Alcoholism and alcohol misuse – recognition and assessment(external link) Patient Info, UK, 2023
Burton R, Sheron N. No level of alcohol consumption improves health(external link) Lancet 2018;392(10152):987–988
GBD 2016 Alcohol Collaborators Alcohol use and burden for 195 countries and territories, 1990-2016 – a systematic analysis for the global burden of disease study 2016(external link) Lancet 2018, September 22;392(10152):1015–1035
Having conversations about alcohol – a digital toolkit(external link) Amohia Te Wairora – We're stronger without alcohol, Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora
Tools and resources to help health professionals have conversations about alcohol, including advice and referral if needed. Includes resources using The Alcohol ABC Approach, tools to identify hazardous or harmful alcohol use, eg, AUDIT(external link) and the Alcohol Risk Communication Tool(external link), and conversation aids for promoting alcohol-free pregnancy and starting a conversation about alcohol.
The toolkit includes the following e-learning modules (registration or login required):
- ABC Alcohol(external link)
- Alcohol, pregnancy and FASD – Learning programme for midwives and lead maternity carers.(external link)
The Alcohol and Your Health booklets from Health Promotion, Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora, may also be useful for working with patients:
Webinars and videos
Each of the Youth19 survey webinars has an accompanying factsheet(s).
Understanding and addressing alcohol harm(external link) (Duration: 58 minutes)
(Youth19 Rangatahi Smart Survey (Youth19), NZ, 2022)
Presented by Dr. Jude Ball (University of Otago), Ben Birks Ang (New Zealand Drug Foundation), and Dr Nicki Jackson (Alcohol Healthwatch).
Factsheets.(external link)
Understanding and addressing alcohol harm among rangatahi Māori(external link) (Duration: 47 Minutes)
(Youth19 Rangatahi Smart Survey (Youth19), NZ, 2022)
Presented by Prof. Sue Crengle (University of Otago), Abby Johnson (Te Whatu Ora), and Mikaere Sydney (CAYAD).
Factsheet.(external link)
Understanding and addressing alcohol harm among Pasifika young people(external link) (Duration: 61 minutes)
(Youth19 Rangatahi Smart Survey (Youth19), NZ, 2023)
Presented by Tatyana King-Finau (Te Herenga Waka), Luisa Silailai (Te Whatu Ora), Dr. Annabel Prescott (NZ Drug Foundation), and Philip Siataga (Mapu Maia).
Factsheet.(external link)
Understanding and addressing alcohol harm among Rainbow youth(external link) (Duration: 60 minutes)
(Youth19 Rangatahi Smart Survey (Youth19), NZ, 2023)
Presented by Dr John Fenaughty (University of Auckland), Tabby Besley (InsideOUT) and Catherine Anderson (Alcohol Healthwatch).
Factsheet.(external link)
Alcohol ABC approach(external link) (Total duration: approximately 5 minutes)
(Counties Manukau Health, 2019)
The following training videos are an example of a structured approach to delivering brief advice about the harms associated with alcohol.
- You approach(external link)– Ask the patient, “Do you have any concerns about your drinking?”
- Them approach(external link) – When the patient has no concerns, move onto the ‘them’ approach by asking, “Has anyone else expressed concerns about your drinking?”
- Me approach(external link) – If the patient denies concerns for themselves and from others, move onto the ‘me’ approach by asking, “As a health professional, I have some concerns about your drinking. Would it be ok if I shared some of these concerns with you?”
Goodfellow Unit Webinar – Talking about alcohol(external link) (Duration: 1 hour 20 minutes)
(Recorded August 2018)
Webinar recording of Dr John McMenamin that covers:
- why it's so important to overcome the barriers to talking about alcohol
- some practical skills for alcohol screening and brief interventions
- useful questions, use of the ABC tool, and having a risk assessment tool
- practical tips for raising the topic and completing an intervention in a 15-minute consult.
Brief intervention on alcohol in general practice (Total duration: approximately 4 min 45 sec)
3 videos by Dr John McMenamin (2017)
- Brief intervention alcohol in general practice – patient concern(external link)
- Brief intervention alcohol – others are concerned(external link)
- Brief intervention alcohol – no concerns(external link)
Credits: Healthify editorial team. Healthify is brought to you by Health Navigator Charitable Trust.
