From theory to practice. Integration of a brief intervention into health centre work and occupational health care. Edited by Kaija-Liisa Seppä; authors: Mauri Aalto, Irmeli Ahola, Leena Heljälä, Senja Hyvönen, Hanna Jurvansuu, Päivi Kainulainen, Pekka Kinnunen, Aimo Korpilähde, Martti Kuokkanen, Jaana Malinen, Unto Matinlompolo, Tapani Melkas, Tuija Paanila, Pirjo-Liisa Ruusukallio-Sointu, Kaija-Liisa Seppä, Kati Seppänen, Marja Tarhala, Olli-Pekka Vilenius. Helsinki, 2008. 75 pp. (Reports of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, Finland, ISSN 1236-2115, 2008:10) ISBN 978-952-00-2543-4 (pb.), ISBN 978-952-00-2544-1 (PDF)

There is a long tradition of the research and development aimed at decreasing excessive consumption of alcohol in Finland. Despite scientific evidence this activity has been rooted in health care services more slowly than hoped. When the threat of an increase in alcohol consumption became more imminent owing to the changed tax rules and rules on import of alcohol, two national projects were started in 2004 by financing from the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health: the national brief intervention project in primary health care (VAMP) and the project to introduce a brief intervention for excessive alcohol consumers in occupational health care.

The four-year projects have worked in cooperation to integrate the brief intervention and to make it a routine among health care professionals to ask about alcohol use that both the personnel and service users accept. The experience basis that international cooperation and scientific knowledge have produced has been made use of in this integration work.

In addition to the interactive training provided in small groups and tailored to local needs there have been large-scale efforts to get the health care management committed to the issue and to create networks, disseminate information to the population, publish articles in professional journals and produce written material.

In the course of the projects attitudes have become more favourable, and the management now strongly supports the activity. According to the preliminary results, the frequency of brief interventions carried out by health care personnel has increased considerably during the project. The projects have provided tools, networks and methods for integrating the brief interventions activity into health care services throughout Finland.

The present publication disseminates the tools and the know-how on brief interventions developed in the course of the projects so as to enable continuing and expanding the activity. The form of action of the projects and the experience gained from them can also be used to integrate activities of other kinds on a large scale into health care.

Key words: alcohol, commitment, health care centres, occupational health care, personnel training, prevention, primary health care, training