When people die from alcohol-related conditions such as liver disease, there have often been missed chances during other hospital visits to prevent or stop their alcohol use from getting worse.
Alcohol harm prevention could include asking patients about drinking, offering advice to help them cut down, or signposting patients to a service where they could get more support.
Since the Covid-19 pandemic, alcohol related illness and deaths have increased, and pressures on hospital resources and hospital staff have also worsened.
A new study led by researchers from the NIHR ARC North East and North Cumbria has explored possible reasons why hospital staff do not engage in preventative work to reduce the health harms of alcohol use, and set out recommendations to address these barriers.
Improved training and development can support preventative alcohol work in hospital settings. Learning in the prevention, early identification and management of alcohol harm can be accessed now via the Boost learning academy…
