Utility of prompting physicians for brief alcohol consumption intervention

A comprehensive prompting strategy designed to maximize the rate of Brief Intervention (BI) for "heavy drinking" was implemented from 2001 to 2003 for a randomized controlled trial of a post-BI treatment enhancement. Thirty-one internists at four outpatient practices in a county of 150,000 in a rural US state documented their BI's using an intervention checklist. The prompting procedures implemented in this study yielded documented BI for 39% of identified cases, but participation rates varied by physician and clinic and over time. The overall rate was lower than expected. Implications and recommendations for future BI research and training are offered; the paper's limitations are discussed.