Alcohol use: brief intervention for people with hypertension
Indicator
The percentage of patients with a new diagnosis of hypertension in the preceding 12 months with a FAST score of 3 or more or AUDIT-C score of 5 or more who have received brief intervention to help them reduce their alcohol related risk within 3 months of the score being recorded.
Indicator type
General practice indicator suitable for use in the Quality and Outcomes Framework.
This document does not represent formal NICE guidance. For a full list of NICE indicators, see our menu of indicators.
To find out how to use indicators and how we develop them, see our NICE indicator process guide.
Rationale
Excessive alcohol intake can contribute to hypertension, and reduction in consumption can reduce blood pressure and have broader health benefits. Tools such as AUDIT-C and FAST can help to identify people that would benefit from reducing their alcohol consumption. Brief interventions can help people reduce their alcohol consumption. They can comprise of a short session of structured brief advice or an extended brief intervention using motivation techniques. Reviews have shown that interventions in primary care are effective in reducing alcohol consumption (Kaner et al 2018).
Source guidance
Hypertension in adults: diagnosis and management. NICE guideline NG136 (2019), recommendations 1.4.1, 1.4.3 and 1.4.8
Alcohol-use disorders: prevention. NICE guideline PH24 (2010), recommendations 9, 10 and 11
Specification
Numerator: The number of patients in the denominator who have received brief intervention to help them reduce their alcohol related risk within 3 months of the score being recorded.
Denominator: The number of patients with a new diagnosis of hypertension in the preceding 12 months with a FAST score of 3 or more, or AUDIT-C score of 5 or more.
Calculation: Numerator divided by the denominator, multiplied by 100.
Exclusions: Patients with an existing diagnosis of an alcohol related disease or disorder.
Minimum population: The indicator would be appropriate to assess performance at individual general practice level.
ISBN: 978-1-4731-5971-6