Alcohol Screening, Intervention & Referral For Health Professionals
Health professionals play an important role in alcohol screening to help assess the level of at-risk drinking among their clients and provide further supports and referrals as needed.
Alcohol Screening, Brief Intervention & Referral: Screening & Assessment Protocol
- A healthcare provider can identify patients who drink alcohol beyond low-risk consumption levels and further assess their at-risk status based on reported alcohol use and other relevant clinical information.
- Interventions should be selected based on this assessment.
Alcohol Screening, Brief Intervention & Referral: Brief Intervention and Review Protocol:
- A primary care brief intervention is composed of one or more short visits with a patient.
- The central focus of these visits is to motivate and support the patient’s efforts to change drinking-related behaviour and reduce alcohol-related harms.
Alcohol Screening, Brief Intervention & Referral: Follow-up and Support Protocol
- It is important to continue to follow up with patients and review goals and progress at each visit.
- If the patient is receiving medication for alcohol dependence, medication management support should also be provided.
For more information:
- Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral: A Clinical Guide
- Guidelines for Healthcare Providers to Promote Low-Risk Drinking Among Patients
- Communicating Alcohol-Related Health Risks – this resource was developed to assist healthcare providers in discussing with their clients the risks of several serious illnesses associated with various levels of alcohol consumption.
- Videos – these videos illustrate key elements of a brief intervention.
- Information for Patients