Abstract
The profession of nursing is seeking to establish its unique professional identity by developing discipline-focused research and clinical practice supported by university education. However, according to refereed literature, educating undergraduate nurses in alcohol-related problems is lacking. The literature reveals that nurses in general lack the necessary knowledge, attitudes, and skills to work with problem drinkers. Alcohol early intervention is advocated as a strategy compatible with contemporary nursing practice. This paper reports a study that commenced with the development of a problem-based, five-week Alcohol Early Intervention Education Package (AEIEP). This package became an intervention around which the knowledge and attitudes of a sample of 212 students of nursing were evaluated. A comprehensive instrument was developed to measure the respondent's knowledge and attitude regarding alcohol-related problems in general and specifically in early intervention. The effects of the education intervention on the different strata of students, were examined in a quasi-experimental, pre-post test design. The findings demonstrated it had a significant effect on the knowledge and attitudes of students enrolled in an integrated bachelor of nursing curriculum.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 63-72 |
| Number of pages | 10 |
| Journal | Journal of Nursing Education |
| Volume | 40 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| Publication status | Published - Feb 2001 |
| Externally published | Yes |