Duszynski K R, Nieto F J, Valente C M
Department of grants administration, Medical and Chirurgical Faculty of Maryland, Baltimore 21201, USA.
Md Med J. 1995 Jun;44(6):439-46.
The American Medical Association recommends that physicians screen all patients for alcohol and other drug abuse so that substance-abusing patients can be referred for appropriate treatment. A 1991 survey of primary care physicians in Baltimore and Cumberland revealed that only 41% routinely screened their patients for alcohol problems and only 20% screened for other drug problems. These levels, as well as the levels at which Maryland physicians counsel, refer, and otherwise treat substance-abusing patients, are well below levels recommended by the AMA. The role that attitudes, confidence, and education play in determining physicians' practice patterns in regard to substance abuse is explored.
