Rastreio do consumo de álcool nos cuidados de saúde primários - Atitudes dos utentes

Abstract

PATIENT ATTITUDES TO SCREENING OF ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION IN PRIMARY HEALTH CARE Objectives: To characterize the alcohol consumption of patients in Primary Health Care, to determine the attitude of patients to- wards screening for harmful alcohol consumption by their physician, to determine if these attitudes are related to the patient's AUDIT-C status, and to analyze factors (age, education, alcohol consumption) related to attitudes towards alcohol screening con- ducted by the family physician during the consultation. Study design: Analytical, cross sectional Setting: Health Centre Groups I, III and VI of the Greater Lisbon area. Participants: Patients of both genders, aged 16 years or older. Methods: A convenience sample of 175 patients in primary health care in the Lisbon area was used. After collecting demographic information from patients, we administered a questionnaire on attitudes towards the screening of harmful alcohol consumption and the AUDIT-C instrument. The chi-square and Student t-test were used, with significance set at the 0,05 level. Results: Most patients (> 80%) expressed support for the screening of alcohol intake by their physician. The answer to four of the statements was related to age and educational level. Forty-one individuals (23.4%) with AUDIT-C positive screening were found, representing 38.5% of men and 14.5% of the women. Conclusions: Patients accept screening of alcohol consumption by their physician, independent of demographic variables or the screening method used. Patients are also open to advice regarding their alcohol intake.