Evaluation of a process of implementation of techniques of prevention of the harmful use of alcohol in communitarian health agents

Abstract

The aim of this study was the process evaluation of screening (AUDIT) techniques’ implementation for alcohol harmful use, associated with a Brief Intervention (BI) session among the Communitarian Health Agents (CHA). Our main objective was to detect the factors that cause difficulties or not on this implementation. The AUDIT measures the standard of alcohol use in a quick way. The BI prepares the person to the behavioral changes about psychoactive substances’ use. 63 CHA of Family Health Teams participated in the study. They were from the cities of Juiz de Fora and Rio Pomba. The process was evaluated by quantitative methods (questionnaires, applied before and after the training) and qualitative (focal group, after the training). The results were, in general, positive changes in the CHA’s perception of preventive practices about alcohol harmful use. There was evidence that the training contributed to the improvement their knowledge about the theme, minimization of obstacles’ perception to accomplish the BI, improvement of the self-evaluation to do the screening and the BI, and better expectances about the results of BI. However, there were difficulties on the effective implementation of these routines, like the resistance to work as a team and negative beliefs related to the user.