Protocolo para el abordaje y derivación de los pacientes con problemas relacionados con el alcohol en el área de salud del Hospital Sierrallana

Abstract

Objective

The alcohol consumption is associated with an important morbidity and mortality. Health professionals know about this risk and the high prevalence of alcoholism (about 7% of the general population in our area). But in spite of this knowledge there is no correspondence between the cases detected and the cases treated in our daily practice. For this reason, we have created a group constituted by members of the Alcohol Program pertaining to the Sierrallana Hospital's Mental Health Unit and family doctors who work for the Torrelavega-Reinosa Primary Care Area. The main objective of this protocol is to raise the professionals’ awareness about this topic.

Material and methods

We have developed a protocol for the management and referring of the patients with alcohol abuse and its consequences from Primary Care to the Alcohol Program.

Results

We have defined referral criteria to make this objective easier. We understand that the approach to this problem area must be multidisciplinary, so we have established a direct way of communication between Primary Care and Psychiatry that permits a coordinated treatment. The document classifies the kind of drinker according to quantitative criterias and differentiates the diagnose and the treatment for each case. For screening of abuse and alcohol dependence we have used the tests AUDIT, CAGE and the diagnostic criterias CIE and DSM-IV. Finally, we have made a model of an interclinical referral note that aims to be an efficient tool for the communication between Primary Care and the Alcohol Program.

Conclusions

The development of a protocol for the management and referring of the patients with alcohol abuse and its consequences from Primary Care to the Alcohol Program will lead to a better identification of the patients and a treatment as precocious as possible.