Nearly 14% of American adults have met DSM-III-R criteria for lifetime alcohol abuse or dependence. Although it has been estimated that 20% of patients visiting physicians will qualify for an alcoholic diagnosis, the early stages of excessive drinking often remain unrecognized in general medical practice and in hospitals due to inadequate training and erroneous stereotyping. Although the NIAAA and other national organizations have funded the development of curricula and workshops to teach alcoholism management, most schools support only limited training, and there is still a need to educate primary care providers already in professional practice. To address this need, American Research Corporation of Virginia proposes the ongoing development of the """"""""Interactive Multimedia Program for Alcoholism Assessment and Counseling Training"""""""" (IMPACT), a combination of audiovisual media and programmed interaction for the teaching of alcoholism management skills to physicians and nurses at both the student and professional levels. The hallmark of this program is a role-play activity with """"""""virtual patients""""""""-patient personalities simulated by digital audio and video. Phase II specific aims include development of additional instruction on alcoholism management, integration of the instruction with full motion video, and evaluation of the presentation with regard to changes in attitudes and medical care.
The primary potential commercial applications of IMPACT is l) implementation in medical school curricula and 2) utilization in hospitals and practices for Continuing Medical Education credit. Commercial potential is deemed high due to the prevalence of alcoholism in American society, the inadequate training of medical professionals in addictive diseases, and the widespread use of computers in the practice of medicine.
