Negative attitudes towards clients with drug and alcohol related problems: finding the elusive solution

The difficulties experienced by nurses in providing care to clients with drug and alcohol related problems within general hospital settings have been clearly identified in the literature. Despite this, the problem continues with little or no evidence of improvement. This paper reports the results of a research project undertaken in a large private hospital in metropolitan Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The study sought to ascertain whether a difference in attitudes, confidence and perceived knowledge related to the care of clients with drug and alcohol problems would be evident between those nurses who used consultation and liaison services from a specialist drug and alcohol unit and those who did not. A questionnaire was administered to 200 nurses, with a 53% completion rate (n = 106). The results showed very little difference between the groups with the exception of the perceived knowledge category which indicated a statistically significant difference.