Screening and treating problematic substance use among patients in psychiatry – obstacles and solutions

BMC Research Notes

Research Note

Elisabeth Petersén¹  Anne H Berman² 

[1] Centre for Psychiatry Research, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden;Stockholm Health Care Services, Region Stockholm, Stockholm, Sweden;Centre for Psychiatry Research, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden;Stockholm Health Care Services, Region Stockholm, Stockholm, Sweden;Department of Psychology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden;

关键词: Alcohol use;    Substance use;    Psychiatry;    Screening;    Brief intervention;    Obstacles;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s13104-023-06389-w

 received in 2022-10-21, accepted in 2023-06-15,  发布年份 2023

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

ObjectiveIn Sweden, national guidelines recommend that all staff in the healthcare system systematically screen patients for alcohol use and illicit substance use. Where hazardous use is identified, it should be addressed as soon as possible, preferably through brief interventions (BI). Results from a previous national survey showed that most clinic directors stated that they had clear guidelines for screening alcohol use and illicit substance use, but that fewer staff than expected used screening in their work. This study aims to identify obstacles and solutions to screening and brief intervention, based on survey respondents’ free-text responses to open-ended questions.ResultsA qualitative content analysis yielded four codes: guidelines, continuing education, cooperation and resources. The codes indicated that staff would need (a) clearer routines in order to optimize compliance with the national guidelines; (b) more knowledge about how to treat patients with problematic substance use; (c) better cooperation between addiction care and psychiatry; and (d) increased resources to improve routines at their own clinic. We conclude that increased resources could contribute to better routines and cooperation, and provide increased opportunities for continuing education. This could increase guideline compliance and increase healthy behavior changes among patients in psychiatry with problematic substance use.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© The Author(s) 2023