Miklós Fodor MD, Chairman of College of Hungarian General Practitioners

Katalin Megyesi MD, National Institute of Primary Health Care

Hungary

Starting Date:

 September 1999

Completion Date:  

Expected: December 2003

Project Strands and Milestones:

• Planning: development of study design, customisation of materials and intervention methods, techniques – December 1999
• Testing in circles of General Practitioners ( Focus Groups)
• Recommendation to GPs, training of GPs
• Further customisation, evaluation, follow-up and report
• Demonstration Project – 2001

Proposed Funding Sources:

• National Institute of Primary Health Care (infrastructure, staff)
• Ministry of Health (project funds)
• Scientific Society of Hungarian General Practitioners (personnel – only promised)
• National Health Insurance Company (fund is promised but has not received yet)

• Semmelweis Medical University of Budapest – links to high profile researchers in alcohol fields
• Alcohol and Drug Coordinators –Budapest – scientific support
• Volunteer Associations

• General Practitioners
• Primary Health Care workers

• Focus Groups – consist primarily health care professionals
• Structured Questionnaires – for General Practitioners
• Early identification and brief intervention instructions for staff
• Hand out for patients (including risky limits) The following Phase III materials will be used in the study: "AUDIT questionnaire", patient booklet, information sheet for GPs, information sheet for medical nurses. These materials have been prepared and translated in Hungarian language during Phase III.
• "Training the trainers": GPs will be trained on early detection and brief intervention
• Focus Group meetings with health care professionals (General Practitioners, General Practitioner Trainees, District Nurses…) will be organised and
• Interviews will be also conducted with health professionals both in Budapest and County Pest

• Use of AUDIT-questionnaire / GPs
• Focus Group Meetings

We plan further develop of the Drink Less package (Hungarian translation of the drink-less package has been done already)

Focus Group Meetings

• Focus Group Meetings
• We are currently developing access to a professional alcohol & drug trainer to co-ordinate the development of a training package.
• QA circles

• Investigators and staff
• Consultant help from Central Research Unit from the Ministry of Welfare

Strategy is based on training programmes and on different mass media campaigns. Local Radio, Local TV and Local Papers will be contacted and will be informed about risky drinking, posters and AUDIT questionnaires will be distributed in the general practitioners waiting rooms.

Posters and leaflets on alcohol issues and health status.

Our special focus will be on those health professionals where we can expect significant change in behaviour. We would like to involve local volunteer associations.

Give information on alcohol related problems, issues. (Journalists of County Pest have been contacted already, and information concerning alcohol issues, alcohol use and misuse, alcohol consumption… will be discussed in the local paper.)

We are involving the following organisations in the project:

• Semmelweis Medical University Budapest – Psychiatric dept. / Dr. Béla Buda
• Semmelweis Medical University Budapest – Public Health dept. / Prof. Tamás Simon
• Hungarian Institute of Alcohol and Drug Abuse / Dr. Mária Holzberger

We would like to establish a cooperation between these organisations. (Chief investigator + co-investigators)

• GP’s Associations
• Volunteer Associations
• Local media, national media
• Local Municipalities
• Addiction Service
• Association of Self-Help Groups / Anonym Alcoholists
• District Psychiatry Centres

We would like to involve both public and private associations, to implement collaboration between them and promote community action projects within the community.

Part of County Pest area, with population base of 100 000 – 150 000 inhabitants.

Beginning of year 2001

December 2003

Before & After study with baseline and outcome measures.

Baseline and follow-up measures on number of participants involved and trained, number of patients screened and number of counselling performed.

After – Before Questionnaires: for staff and for patients about knowledge on alcohol related issues and attitudes towards early identification and brief intervention (EIBI).

Qualitative analysis of responses on the EIBI.

A Health economist will be involved in the analysis. Official statistics of alcohol sales and data related to alcohol consumption will be measured and analysed before and after demonstration project.