Alcohol use by healthcare professionals

Background: This study investigated alcohol use, misuse and abuse in a sample of dentists, nurses, pharmacists and physicians. Previous studies have lacked cross healthcare group comparisons and have rarely included dentists. Methods: As part of a larger mail survey, 479 healthcare professionals (68.7% response) completed self-report items on patterns of alcohol use, monthly drinking, heavy episodic drinking, alcohol-related dysfunction and social or professional influences. Results: Dentists consumed more alcohol than other groups of healthcare professionals; however, use of alcohol by nurses may have a wider impact. The data also suggest alcohol use by healthcare professionals may be related to age, but not gender or income. Physicians received significantly more offers to drink alcohol from pharmaceutical companies and dentists received significantly more offers to drink alcohol in social situations than other healthcare professionals. Conclusions: When compared to the general population, healthcare professionals appear to drink less, however, these findings also suggest that dentists use significantly more alcohol than most other groups of healthcare professionals. Together these findings address significant knowledge gaps that exist surrounding the prevalence of and pathways promoting alcohol use and misuse by healthcare professionals. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.