Journal of addictive diseases
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(1) Examine physician and nursing staff compliance with conducting an alcohol screening interview; (2) Compare compliance with the interview with usual physician and nurse assessment of drinking; (3) Examine reasons why drinking information might not be collected. ⋯ (1) Compliance with administering a standardized alcohol screening interview was low. (2) Nurses, and residents in family practice and internal medicine made some assessment of drinking for most patients. Surgeons assessed drinking in a minority of patients. (3) Expressed reasons for not administering the standardized interview included discomfort with the interview, viewing the interview as too time-consuming, or not part of the usual responsibilities of the nurses or residents. Other possible reasons for the low levels of compliance are discussed.