Officials Stress the Need for Alcohol Screening

Officials Stress the Need for Alcohol Screening

The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is urging health professionals to implement alcohol screening and counseling during the provision of routine patient care. This recommendation stems from the CDC’s findings that most adults have never been asked about their alcohol use by medical providers. The report, “Alcohol Screening and Counseling,” was published in the January edition of Vital Signs.  

According to the CDC, approximately 38 million Americans drink too much, resulting in 88,000 deaths each year. Excessive alcohol use may cause heart disease, breast cancer, fetal alcohol spectrum disorders, impaired judgment, and violent behavior. The CDC report highlights the need for improved patient-provider discussions about alcohol use, so that screening and counseling may be offered. Among those who drink excessively, alcohol screening and short counseling sessions can decrease drinking by 25% per occasion. As such, the CDC encourages health professionals to cover the following points during patient interactions:

• Add questions to the health history exam that ascertain how much and how frequently patients drink
• Advise patients, including pregnant women and those trying to conceive, about the negative health effects of excessive drinking
• Be prepared to refer patients who demonstrate the need for substance abuse treatment to an appropriate provider

“Alcohol screening and brief counseling can help people set and achieve realistic goals for themselves,” says CDC Director Tom Frieden, MD, MPH. “Health care workers can provide these services to more patients and involve communities to help people avoid dangerous levels of drinking.” In addition, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act mandates all new health insurance plans to cover alcohol screening and counseling without a co-payment. The complete report is available here.

Hygiene Connection E-Newsletter

February 2014