Little information exists about alcohol use within health facilities. We sought to determine alcohol use and control in acute-care hospitals by mailing a questionnaire to a convenience sample of Pharmacy Directors of 24 hospitals in two regions. Of 23 responders, in-patient alcohol was dispensed by 21 (91%) within the last 5 years. Of these 21, both beverage and intravenous alcohol were dispensed by 13 (62%), only beverage alcohol by seven (33%), and only intravenous alcohol by one (5%). No institutional policies regarding alcohol dispensing existed in 16 (70%) hospitals. Alcohol was frequently used as a patient courtesy (14/20, 70%), and to prevent withdrawal (7/20, 35%). All pharmacies procured intravenous alcohol in a formal process, but 60% (12/20) obtained beverage alcohol informally. Alcohol is widely dispensed with few guidelines in this sample of acute-care hospitals. Additional research on therapeutic efficacy, consequences, and institutional oversight of alcohol in hospitals is needed.

This retrospective-anecdotal study was conducted to determine if involvement in a learner-centered continuing education program in substance abuse prevention would influence the careers and work-related activities of thefacilitators. A questionnaire was sent to 33 individuals who served as facilitators of a large substance abuse prevention education project. Of the 31 who responded, 21 (67.7%) indicated that serving as a facilitator resulted in either "major changes" or "some changes" to their careers, and 25 (80.6%) felt that they were "much more likely" or "more likely" to incorporate substance abuse prevention activities into their work. Teaching in substance abuse education programs may cause changes in the career paths and work-related activities of the facilitators. Investigators may need to incorporate evaluations of the effects of a particular program on the intended learners as well as the facilitators.

No abstract