Toolkit for general practice
Opportunities to identify families misusing alcohol
Via the parent
- In registering new patients practice staff will be aware of new patients with children.
- A question on the New Patient Health Check questionnaire regarding alcohol intake is the first step to identifying people concerned about their drinking. It may be possible to ask parents themselves if they are at all concerned about the effect their alcohol use might have on their children.
- Medical notes and records might indicate a previous drinking problem about which doctors and nurses could gently enquire.
- The parents themselves might see their doctor with concerns about their drinking. In fact most problem drinkers do raise this issue with their doctor although few doctors make the most of this opportunity to offer appropriate advice. In discussing the problem, asking about parental concerns would not be inappropriate and is likely to give a good insight into the level of the drinking problem experienced.
- Parents with chronic drinking problems are likely to be known to the practice. Looking out for the needs of children of problem drinkers should become standard practice.
Adults in the family (grown up children, the spouse, other relations of the problem drinker or even older children) might well consult the GP about the drinking parent looking for support and advice. Much can be done to support the family in this situation when someone has come forward for help (see Advice for affected others).
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