Delay pattern analysis of 368 patients with alcohol problems in one general practice.

OBJECTIVE

To describe the pattern of diagnosis of 368 patients with alcohol problems in one general practice in northwest England.

METHODS

Records were searched retrospectively, and notes were made prospectively from 1996, of all patients who either admitted to drinking more than 50 units per week (men) or 35 units per week (women), or with other mention of "alcohol problems". Any such record was considered to constitute an "alcohol problem". The interval between first presentation, using a standard problem list, and the date of identification of an alcohol problem was noted in both time and number of general practice consultations.

RESULTS

292 patients (79%) were diagnosed in the practice, 51 (14%) in hospital, nine (2%) in a previous general practice, and 16 (4%) elsewhere. Thirty-nine per cent of patients were identified before the age of 35. Men were identified significantly quicker than women, and alcohol problems have been diagnosed significantly quicker since 1996.

CONCLUSION

General practice was the major setting for the identification of alcohol problems in this population. Evidence from this series, probably the largest from a single practice, suggests patients were discovered more speedily in more recent years than earlier. This audit has educational value and could be used more widely in primary care to demonstrate how well we are diagnosing those whose problems come from their use of alcohol.