Examining an alcohol health worker service's patient coverage

Abstract

Alcohol Health Workers (AHWs) have been found to be effective at reducing alcohol-related hospital admissions, but there is still a paucity of evidence in keys areas. This is the first study to investigate what percentage of patients referred to an AHW service by alcohol screening tools are actually seen by the AHWs. The study Ð based in a large teaching hospital in the north of England Ð also investigates the impact of social deprivation on service usage. Research data come from a patient database and semi-structured interviews with AHWs.Further research is required to better understand the Ôharm paradoxÕ of patientsÕ differential susceptibility to alcohol-related harm and how this might impact AHW service patient flow.