Alcohol enquiry by GPs - Understanding patients' perspectives: A qualitative study

Area of Science:

• General Practice
• Health Promotion
• Patient-Doctor Communication

Background:

• Patient beliefs regarding alcohol enquiry by general practitioners (GPs) require clarification.
• Understanding these attitudes is crucial for implementing effective early detection and brief intervention strategies for alcohol use.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore patients' beliefs and attitudes towards receiving alcohol enquiry from GPs.
• To identify factors influencing the acceptability of alcohol discussions in general practice settings.

Main Methods:

• Purposive sampling of 23 participants from a prior survey in a Sydney general practice clinic.
• Semi-structured interviews conducted and analyzed using grounded theory to develop an explanatory model.

Main Results:

• Patient acceptability of alcohol enquiry by GPs was influenced by perceived relevance to the consultation.
• The approach and language used during patient-doctor interaction significantly impacted acceptability.
• Patients expressed unease related to the moral and stigmatizing aspects of alcohol consumption.

Conclusions:

• Patients generally support GPs in health promotion but show reservations about discussing alcohol.
• Improving acceptability requires contextualizing alcohol dialogue, aligning with patient agendas, and employing collaborative, sensitive communication styles.