Readiness to Change of Problem Drinkers in a General Hospital

Background and Purpose: Problem drinking is a common problem among inpatients in general hospitals. Assessment of the readiness to change of patients with problem drinking plays the pivotal role in determining the appropriate intervention. The purpose of this study was to investigate the readiness to change among patients with problem drinking in a general hospital. Methods: Problem drinking was identified by screening nonpsychiatric inpatients using the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) at a cutoff point of 8. The stage of readiness to change was assessed using the Readiness to Change Questionnaire (RCQ). Results: Among the 1,171 inpatients screened, 1,007 (86.0%) had a negative result and 164 (14.0%) a positive result for problem drinking. Among the 105 problem drinkers who completed the RCQ, 75 (71.4%) were classified as being in the precontemplation (PC) stage of readiness to change, 16 (15.2%) in the contemplation (C) stage, and 14 (13.3%) in the action (A) stage. Neither demographic correlates nor AUDIT scores were associated with the stage of readiness to change among patients with problem drinking. Conclusion: Patients with problem drinking identified by inpatient screening in this study from Taiwan were predominantly in the readiness to change stages of PC and C and rarely in stage A. These findings suggest that enhancing motivation should a primary focus of hospital-based therapy for patients with problem drinking.