Efficacy of a Brief Alcohol Intervention for Non Dependant Alcohol-misusing Patients Undergoing a Scheduled Surgery

Excessive alcohol consumption is a worldwide major public health problem. Brief interventions have shown to be an efficient treatment modality for problem drinkers, but have never been tested in scheduled surgery. Patients will be recruited in various surgery units in 7 hospital in France. All patients attending a scheduled surgery will be screened during the visit with the anaesthesist by the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT). Patients aged 30-75 with an AUDIT between 7 and 12, corresponding to at risk or harmful use, will be proposed to enter a control study and randomized between a brief intervention by a trained nurse during the post-surgery hospitalisation and no intervention. Twelve months after the surgery, a research technician will interview by telephone patients and evaluate AUDIT and alcohol consumption of the last month.