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Substance abuse intervention for health care workers: A preliminary report

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Abstract

The Workplace Managed Care Cooperative Agreement project targets 3,300 health care professionals in hospital, specialty clinic, and primary care settings located in metropolitan New Mexico communities. This project will evaluate whether enhancements to existing substance abuse prevention/early intervention programs can prevent the onset of risky drinking, reduce prevalence of risky drinking, better identify employees who abuse alcohol and drugs, and improve employee wellness. This article describes one such enhancement (Project WISE [Workplace Initiative in Substance Education]), implemented at Lovelace Health Systems. Project WISE includes relatively low-cost elements such as substance abuse awareness training, information on how to reduce drinking, and brief motivational counseling. Evaluation will consist of baseline comparisons of the intervention and comparison sites, a process evaluation, a qualitative analysis using focus groups, and an outcome evaluation using health and work records. Methodological challenges, solutions, and implications for researchers undertaking similar projects are presented.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Behavioral Health Research Center of the Southwest, 4600A Montgomery Blvd. NE, 87109, Albuquerque, NM

    Sandra C. Lapham M.D., M.P.H. (Director)

  2. the Behavioral Health Research Center of the Southwest, USA

    Iyiin Chang M.S. (research scientist/biostatistician)

  3. the Lovelace Clinic Foundation in Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA

    Cindy Gregory Ph.D. (evaluation coordinator)

Authors
  1. Sandra C. Lapham M.D., M.P.H.
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  2. Iyiin Chang M.S.
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  3. Cindy Gregory Ph.D.
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sandra C. Lapham M.D., M.P.H..

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Lapham, S.C., Chang, I. & Gregory, C. Substance abuse intervention for health care workers: A preliminary report. The Journal of Behavioral Health Services & Research 27, 131–143 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02287308

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