Understanding Nurse Perceptions of Caring for Patients With Alcohol Use Disorder: A Cross-Sectional Study

Alcohol use disorder (AUD), the problematic consumption of alcohol, affects 107 million people worldwide. Individuals with AUD experience high morbidity and increased mortality. Nurses practicing in acute care are ideally positioned to deliver quality interventions to patients with AUD, including screening and brief intervention; formal training and assessment of baseline knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions are necessary.

The aim of this study was to explore the knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions of acute care nurses caring for patients with AUD.

This study used a cross-sectional survey design.

The Survey of Attitudes and Perceptions was completed by 93 nurses working in six acute care centers (seven medicine units) across Alberta. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics.

Few participants reported receiving any prior structured training on AUD, with the majority reporting limited knowledge of alcohol and the effects of alcohol consumption. Although most participants said that caring for patients with AUD was a part of their professional role, few felt satisfied or motivated to work with this group of patients. Responses to individual questions or subdomains of the survey did not significantly differ by length of time in professional role, employment status, or sex.

Our results indicate that nurses need to learn more about caring for patients with AUD. Developing tailored educational interventions that are mindful of the importance of knowledge, support, satisfaction, and motivation is necessary to improve the quality of care for patients with AUD.