Do hospital staff attitudes to alcohol-related patients vary by department?

What is it about?

Staff attitudes towards patients presenting with alcohol-related problems are a recognised barrier to the delivery of alcohol screening and brief intervention in healthcare settings, yet little was known about how attitudes varied across different hospital departments. This study collected data from 204 healthcare professionals working across multiple departments in the Southern Health and Social Care Trust in Northern Ireland, using the Short Alcohol and Alcohol Problems Perception Questionnaire (SAAPPQ) to measure attitudes. The SAAPPQ captures dimensions including role adequacy, role legitimacy, role support, job satisfaction and motivation to work with patients who have alcohol problems. Regression models were used to identify which demographic, professional and departmental variables predicted staff attitudes. The study examined whether differences in training, professional background, clinical role and department type were associated with more or less favourable attitudes toward patients with alcohol-related presentations.

Featured Image

Why is it important?

Negative staff attitudes are among the most consistently identified barriers to alcohol brief intervention delivery in hospital settings, meaning that even well-trained staff in well-resourced systems may fail to engage constructively with alcohol-related presentations if underlying attitudes are not addressed. Northern Ireland has one of the highest rates of alcohol-related harm in the UK, making the healthcare workforce's capacity and willingness to intervene a genuine public health priority. This study provides locally specific, department-level evidence about where attitudinal barriers are concentrated, which is more useful for targeted training and workforce development than aggregate data.