This module is a starting point for nurses and midwives to understand the impact of alcohol and other drug use on patients that they care for. It starts with an overview of dependence, the approaches used in harm reduction, barriers to care and key elements when screening for alcohol and other drug use.

Learning outcomes

On successful completion of this CPD module, you should be able to:

• be able to identify indicators of dependence
• understand common barriers to care
• identify key elements of screening
• be able to reflect on how to integrate this into current practice.