Acceptability of screening for early detection of liver disease in hazardous/harmful drinkers in primary care
Acceptability of screening for early detection of liver disease in hazardous/harmful drinkers in primary care
Background: it is estimated that one-quarter of adults in the UK drink at harmful/hazardous levels leading to increased mortality and alcohol liver disease (ALD). The Alcohol Liver Disease Detection Study (ALDDeS) aimed to test out in primary care the feasibility of alcohol misuse screening in adults, using the AUDIT questionnaire, and to assess screening harmful/hazardous alcohol users for ALD using newer non-invasive serum markers of fibrosis.
Aim: to explore patients' experiences of taking part in ALDDeS and understanding of the delivery and process of screening for ALD using self-report questionnaires and feedback of liver fibrosis risk using levels of non-invasive serum markers.
Design and setting: a nested qualitative study based in five primary care practices in the UK.
Method: from a sample of patients who were identified as drinking at harmful/hazardous levels, 30 participants were identified by maximum variation sampling for qualitative in-depth interviews. Using the principles of constant comparison the transcribed interviews were thematically analysed.
Results: receiving a postal AUDIT questionnaire was viewed as acceptable by participants. For some completing the AUDIT increased awareness of their hazardous alcohol use and a positive blood test indicating liver fibrosis was a catalyst for behaviour change. For others, a negative blood test result provided a licence to continue drinking at hazardous levels. A limited understanding of safe drinking and of ALD was common.
Conclusion: educational and training needs of primary care professionals must be taken into account, so that patients with marker levels indicating low risk of fibrosis are correctly informed about the likely risks of continuing to drink at the same levels
e516-e522
Eyles, Caroline
f8518cbb-669f-4cf6-bacb-4a174e385483
Moore, Michael
1be81dad-7120-45f0-bbed-f3b0cc0cfe99
Sheron, Nicholas
0932b88c-3875-4064-baa9-01dc02dedec3
Roderick, Paul
dbb3cd11-4c51-4844-982b-0eb30ad5085a
O'Brien, Wendy
4681130e-626d-4dcb-9785-3550f20e8e34
Leydon, Geraldine M.
c5cdaff5-0fa1-4d38-b575-b97c2892ec40
August 2013
Eyles, Caroline
f8518cbb-669f-4cf6-bacb-4a174e385483
Moore, Michael
1be81dad-7120-45f0-bbed-f3b0cc0cfe99
Sheron, Nicholas
0932b88c-3875-4064-baa9-01dc02dedec3
Roderick, Paul
dbb3cd11-4c51-4844-982b-0eb30ad5085a
O'Brien, Wendy
4681130e-626d-4dcb-9785-3550f20e8e34
Leydon, Geraldine M.
c5cdaff5-0fa1-4d38-b575-b97c2892ec40
Eyles, Caroline, Moore, Michael, Sheron, Nicholas, Roderick, Paul, O'Brien, Wendy and Leydon, Geraldine M.
(2013)
Acceptability of screening for early detection of liver disease in hazardous/harmful drinkers in primary care.
British Journal of General Practice, 63 (613), .
(doi:10.3399/bjgp13X670642).
(PMID:23972192)
Abstract
Background: it is estimated that one-quarter of adults in the UK drink at harmful/hazardous levels leading to increased mortality and alcohol liver disease (ALD). The Alcohol Liver Disease Detection Study (ALDDeS) aimed to test out in primary care the feasibility of alcohol misuse screening in adults, using the AUDIT questionnaire, and to assess screening harmful/hazardous alcohol users for ALD using newer non-invasive serum markers of fibrosis.
Aim: to explore patients' experiences of taking part in ALDDeS and understanding of the delivery and process of screening for ALD using self-report questionnaires and feedback of liver fibrosis risk using levels of non-invasive serum markers.
Design and setting: a nested qualitative study based in five primary care practices in the UK.
Method: from a sample of patients who were identified as drinking at harmful/hazardous levels, 30 participants were identified by maximum variation sampling for qualitative in-depth interviews. Using the principles of constant comparison the transcribed interviews were thematically analysed.
Results: receiving a postal AUDIT questionnaire was viewed as acceptable by participants. For some completing the AUDIT increased awareness of their hazardous alcohol use and a positive blood test indicating liver fibrosis was a catalyst for behaviour change. For others, a negative blood test result provided a licence to continue drinking at hazardous levels. A limited understanding of safe drinking and of ALD was common.
Conclusion: educational and training needs of primary care professionals must be taken into account, so that patients with marker levels indicating low risk of fibrosis are correctly informed about the likely risks of continuing to drink at the same levels
This record has no associated files available for download.
More information
Published date: August 2013
Organisations:
Primary Care & Population Sciences
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 356023
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/356023
ISSN: 0960-1643
PURE UUID: 0369ff91-6781-4c81-b697-a73545e6ddd1
Catalogue record
Date deposited: 02 Sep 2013 08:12
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 03:23
Export record
Altmetrics
Contributors
Author:
Caroline Eyles
Author:
Nicholas Sheron
Download statistics
Downloads from ePrints over the past year. Other digital versions may also be available to download e.g. from the publisher's website.
View more statistics
