Understanding the obstacles that GPs encounter
when they communicate with patients about the issue of alcohol can
provide appropriate information tools to improve GP’s ability to identify
risky drinkers and to motivate those identified to reduce their drinking
behaviour. The BIQ questionnaire, previously used by Struzzo in Italy, was
administered to 158 GPs in the area of Florence who attended a one-day
alcohol training course, prior to the start of the training. Six such courses
were carried out during the period 2010-2012. 45.7% of participants
recognized as a limit for at risk drinking for males of 30-40 g of alcohol per
day, and 20.4% identified 20-30 g of alcohol per day for females (70.6% of
whom set this limit at 10-20 g per day, suggesting a more restrictive
approach to female patients regardless the gender of the physician). 47.7%
said they have no problem addressing the issue of alcohol with their
patients, while 52.7% said they had little or no effect on changing their
patients’ drinking behaviour. A need for training in early identification and
brief intervention was felt by most GPs (over 90%), with a minority (14%)
indicating that an economic incentive is necessary to implement brief
intervention. As to GP lifestyles, 81% of physicians reported drinking at
least one alcoholic beverage during the last year, and 25% smoked (above
the mean for Tuscany and Italy).