Implementing Brief Interventions in Health Care: Lessons Learned from the Swedish Risk Drinking Project

Per Nilsen, Sven Wåhlin and Nick Heather
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Per Nilsen: Department of Medical and Health Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping 581 83, Sweden
Sven Wåhlin: Swedish National Institute of Public Health, Östersund 831 40, Sweden
Nick Heather: School of Life Sciences, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 8ST, UK

IJERPH, 2011, vol. 8, issue 9, 1-19

Abstract: The Risk Drinking Project was a national implementation endeavour in Sweden, carried out from 2004 to 2010, based on a government initiative to give alcohol issues a more prominent place in routine primary, child, maternity and occupational health care. The article describes and analyses the project. Critical factors that were important for the results are identified. The magnitude of the project contributed to its reach and impact in terms of providers’ awareness of the project goals and key messages. The timing of the project was appropriate. The increase in alcohol consumption in Sweden and diminished opportunities for primary prevention strategies since entry to the European Union in 1995 have led to increased expectations for health care providers to become more actively involved in alcohol prevention. This awareness provided favourable conditions for this project. A multifaceted approach was used in the project. Most educational courses were held in workshops and seminars to encourage learning-by-doing. Motivational interviewing was an integral aspect. The concept of risk drinking was promoted in all the activities. Subprojects were tailored to the specific conditions of each respective setting, building on the skills the providers already had to modify existing work practices. Nurses were afforded a key role in the project.

Keywords: alcohol; brief intervention; secondary prevention; public health; risk drinking; implementation; continuing professional education (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2011
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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