Who is developing the project?

Alternative Sociale Association

European Economic Space and FDSC (www.fondong.fdsc.ro)

Brief description

The project Prevalcool came as a response to the phenomenon of alcohol abuse in Romania and targets the rural communities in the North East region. Through partnerships closed with the public health services in the region, the project directly approaches family doctors and community medical assistants. The project aims to prevent/reduce the impact of alcohol abuse in rural areas by developing the capacity of health system professionals (physicians and nurses working in small communities), supported by an information and awareness campaing on the problems caused by alcohol abuse.

Objectives of the Project

Objective 1 Develop the capacity of 150 health system professionals from rural areas to intervene for the reduction of the negative consquences of the excessive alcohol consumption.

Objective 2 To raise the level of information and awareness of the general population from the target rural areas with regards to the psychosocial and medical problems caused by alcohol consumption.

Tools and Methods

The program was organized into 4 training modules which combined several methods and approaches. The training relied on existing experiences of participants.

Introduction

a. Sharing of experience.
During the introductory session participants were asked to describe their interactions with patients with alcohol abuse, including negative experiences and success stories. They were also asked to speak about their activities at community level, as members of community advisory boards.

b. Presentations
All first training module relied on presentations on the specifics of alcohol abuse as a phenomenon (national and european statistical data, relevant definitions, impact studies etc.).

c. Practical activities
The second training module was based on presentations and participants’ applying dedicated tools and techniques for screening alcohol abuse patients. Due to the specifics of the 2 main groups of participants separate sessions were organized for physicians and nurses.

The participants were also asked to draw an intervention plan to be used in their communities. Working in groups highlighted systemic collaboration issues which the participants were asked to solve.

d. Q&A
Participants were encouraged to expressed concerns with regards to the application of tools and methods, and the concerns were addressed by trainers.

e. Participatory approach
The trainers used practical applications to draw, with the help of participants, the essential elements for a good communication with the patients which encourage the disclosure of sensitive topics (such alcohol abuse).

f. Profiling and role play

g. Models (short intervention model, the transtheroretical Prochaska & DiClemente model)

h. Motivational interview

What methodologies does the project use?

• participatory processes (initial needs evaluation, content co-development, impact assessment after the application of the program etc.)
• digital tools
• cultural heritage (community advisory board involvement in the design of interventions)
• design thinking (UX – profiling, designing interventions from the perspective of the beneficiary)

General context

An initial analysis of data collected on the topic of alcohol abuse revealed that:

• Alcoholism represents a high risk social issue, with serious consequences on the health of the population;
• Currently primary and tertiary prevention or interventions programs are few and their impact is not evaluated;
• Assistance services are mainly available in urban areas;
• Existing information and awareness raising campaign are mainly focusing on the consumption of illegal drugs, the issue of alcohol abuse is rarely covered;
• Community physicians and nurses are not regarded as having a role in prevention;
  Training on alcohol abuse prevention is lacking.

The analysis identified the need for an approach of the alcohol abuse issue from the perspective of secondary prevention by including community/family physicians and nurses from rural areas as main actors for influencing the reduction of the phenomenon at community level.

Selected tags about the project

• alcohol abuse
• secondary prevention
• participatory aproach
• co-design
• community participation

How does it develop in time?

The project included 6 one day and a half trainings with medical staff (physicians and nurses from rural areas).

Beneficiary

Community/family physicians and nurses from rural communities of the North East region of Romania.

Results

• 150 community/family physicians and nurses from rural communities of the North East region of Romania, selected by the County Health Departments of Suceava, Botoșani, Neamț, Iași, Bacău and Vaslui trained and the effectiveness of their activity improved (new methods and techniques for the prevention and reduction of alcohol abuse). At the end of the training session the participants were able:
  • to define inadequate alcohol consumption using a standardized assessment system based on the “alcohol unit”;
  • to describe the main physical, psychological and social effects of alcohol abuse;
  • identify the main groups at risk;
  • describe/use screening tools for the detection of inadequate alcohol consumption;
  • define different levels of alcohol consumption, abuse and addiction and to identify adequate interventions for each situation;
  • list and describe the short intervention model’s steps.
  • describe the specifics of the counseling process of child and adolescent with regards to alcohol consumption;
  • to define the basic elements of motivational interview;
  • to elaborate a plan for the implementation, on local level, of measures for the reduction of inadequate alcohol consumption aimed at the community members.
• 30 persons abusing alcohol and members of their families involved in the development of information and awareness raising materials;
• 2180 (estimed) medical practices benefit from campaign materials to be used in prevention activities developed;
• The North East region population (estimated 3.600.000) was targeted by a radio and online campaign on the negative consequences of alcohol abuse;

How is it evaluated?

Impact evaluation study

Links and references

https://www.prevalcool.alternativesociale.ro