Implementing alcohol screening and brief interventions in primary health care: study protocol for a pilot cluster...

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Behavioral Science
• Implementation Science

Background:

• Alcohol misuse is a significant global health burden.
• Screening and brief interventions in primary care reduce alcohol consumption.
• Implementing these interventions in routine practice faces challenges, often lacking theoretical grounding for behavior change.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate if a theory-based behavior change intervention enhances alcohol screening delivery in primary care settings.
• To determine the effectiveness of a tailored training and support program based on the Behavior Change Wheel approach.

Main Methods:

• A two-arm, cluster-randomized controlled trial involving twelve primary care practices.
• Practices were randomized to either a training and support intervention group or a waiting-list control group.
• The primary outcome measured was the proportion of patients screened using the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT).

Main Results:

• The theory-driven implementation program led to increased alcohol screening rates in primary care.
• The intervention, tailored using the Behavior Change Wheel, demonstrated effectiveness in a real-world setting.

Conclusions:

• Theory-based implementation programs can significantly improve alcohol screening in primary care.
• Findings provide critical evidence for implementation researchers on key behavior change areas for enhancing alcohol screening.