Can We Talk about Alcohol for a Minute? Thoughts and Opinions Expressed by Health Professionals and Patients at a Somatic Hospital

This study aims to investigate the attitudes and opinions that are present among patients and health professionals toward addressing patients’ alcohol use during a hospital stay. We conducted semi-structured interviews with nine health professionals and five patients to explore their opinions and attitudes toward asking and being asked about alcohol during a hospital stay. The data were analyzed using an ad hoc method consisting of primarily close reading and meaning condensing. The main barriers about alcohol as a topic in healthcare lie with health professionals. While patients have reservations and preferences regarding when and how they are asked about alcohol, they all consider knowledge about alcohol habits as important for the health professional to have. The study’s results suggest that actions to better preventive efforts regarding inexpedient alcohol use should mainly focus on breaking barriers hindering the health professionals in asking their patients. This can be done by focusing on education for the health professionals on this topic and developing tangible guidelines for when and how to ask patients for the health professionals to depend on.