Audit of health promotion practice within a UK hospital: results of a pilot study

INTRODUCTION AND AIM: There is clear evidence that modifiable risk factors--smoking, alcohol misuse, poor diet, lack of exercise and obesity--are detrimental to health. UK public health policy now requires hospitals to have in-place health promotion programmes to empower patients to swap risky for healthy behaviours. This audit aimed to determine a baseline level of health promotion practice for modifiable risk factors in a UK hospital. METHOD: Case notes from two hundred and fifty hospitalized adult patients (excluding all terminally ill patients), discharged alive between January and June 2004, were audited for evidence of screening for risk factors (smoking, alcohol, diet, exercise and obesity) and the provision of health promotion to change these risk behaviours. RESULTS: The majority of inpatients were asked about smoking (88%) and alcohol consumption (74%), but few were screened for obesity (18%) or asked about their normal diet (5%) and physical activity (3%). Health promotion was delivered to a third of smokers and over half of inpatients reporting misuse of alcohol. Healthy diets, exercise and weight management were rarely discussed. Only three inpatients were screened for all risk factors. CONCLUSION: This study indicates that the majority of hospital inpatients were screened for smoking and alcohol use, but improvements need to be made in the delivery of health promotion for smoking cessation and sensible drinking. It is clear that inpatients' are not routinely screened for diet, exercise and weight status, nor delivered health promotion for the management of these risk behaviours.