Reported practices, attitudes, and confidence levels of primary care physicians regarding patients who abuse alcohol and other drugs.

The American Medical Association recommends that physicians screen all patients for alcohol and other drug abuse so that substance-abusing patients can be referred for appropriate treatment. A 1991 survey of primary care physicians in Baltimore and Cumberland revealed that only 41% routinely screened their patients for alcohol problems and only 20% screened for other drug problems. These levels, as well as the levels at which Maryland physicians counsel, refer, and otherwise treat substance-abusing patients, are well below levels recommended by the AMA. The role that attitudes, confidence, and education play in determining physicians' practice patterns in regard to substance abuse is explored.