Alcohol e-learning resource now available
Published: 17 June 2009
The Department of Health in England has launched an e-learning resource to assist health professionals working with patients who have alcohol related concerns.
The free module is aimed at health care staff working in the NHS and community services. It provides them with the skills and tools needed to carry out alcohol Identification and Brief Advice (IBA) - using a quick and simple tool to accurately identify patients' level of risk in relation to their drinking and spending five minutes talking through options for cutting down their intake.
Specifically, the e-learning module has been designed to help health care staff learn more about alcohol units, the risks associated with alcohol consumption and the process of IBA. It is available on the Department of Health alcohol learning centre website: www.alcohollearningcentre.org.uk/elearning.
Further information
Department of Health figures show:
- Annual NHS costs related to alcohol misuse add up to £2.7 billion per year.
- Alcohol-related illness or injury currently accounts for nearly a million hospital admissions per year and this figure is increasing.
- Older men who drink over 50 units a week are responsible for a disproportionate number of alcohol-related admissions.
- The peak age for alcohol-related deaths is now around 55-59 for both men and women, with between 15,000 and 22,000 premature deaths occurring annually.
- In 2005, 4,160 people in England and Wales died from alcoholic liver disease - a 40% increase since 1999.
For more information, read the Department of Health document: e-learning module (Word 48KB).