The effects of the problem-based Alcohol Early-Intervention Education Package on the knowledge and attitudes of students of nursing.

The profession of nursing is seeking to establish its unique professional identity by developing discipline-focused research and clinical practice supported by university education. However, according to refereed literature, educating undergraduate nurses in alcohol-related problems is lacking. The literature reveals that nurses in general lack the necessary knowledge, attitudes, and skills to work with problem drinkers. Alcohol early intervention is advocated as a strategy compatible with contemporary nursing practice. This paper reports a study that commenced with the development of a problem-based, five-week Alcohol Early Intervention Education Package (AEIEP). This package became an intervention around which the knowledge and attitudes of a sample of 212 students of nursing were evaluated. A comprehensive instrument was developed to measure the respondent's knowledge and attitude regarding alcohol-related problems in general and specifically in early intervention. The effects of the education intervention on the different strata of students, were examined in a quasi-experimental, pre-post test design. The findings demonstrated it had a significant effect on the knowledge and attitudes of students enrolled in an integrated bachelor of nursing curriculum.