This sub-study assessed the quality of a proxy measure for alcohol-related consultations in general practice in Denmark. The quality assessment was conducted by comparing the number of alcohol-related consultations registered by health care professionals (HCP) in patient records, the proxy measure, with the number reported by patients through questionnaires completed immediately after consultations in general practice. The assessment included four general practices that participated in the Danish Identification and Treatment of Alcohol Problems in Primary Care (iTAPP) study and was conducted over 15 days from April to July 2024. Overall, HCPs in a sub-sample of four general practices participating in the iTAPP study registered a total of 27 alcohol-related consultations in the observation period, compared with 51 consultations reported by patients. The pattern with more patient recalls of alcohol discussed than documented by HCPs was seen across all practices in the sub-sample. We conclude that registrations in patient records may be used as a proxy measure for alcohol-related consultations in Danish general practice. Still, we cannot assume it reflects the true number of alcohol-related consultations in practice, since no direct observation was included in the sub-study. Clinicaltrials.gov NCT05916027. Retrospectively registered 22 June 2023.
Olsen et al. (Sat,) studied this question.