While the relationship between alcohol use and cancer\u2014specifically breast cancer\u2014is well-established, evolving research and fluctuations in official recommendations can make it difficult to fully understand the level of risk alcohol poses, not just for patients but also for providers. That has prompted two University of Rhode Island College of Nursing researchers to study health practitioners\u2019 understanding of the association between alcohol and breast cancer, and how they convey that risk to patients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Breast Cancer Screening & Moderation of Alcohol for Risk Transformation (B-SMART) study will examine the knowledge,\u202fattitudes,\u202fand current practices of nurse practitioners and physicians\u202fregarding\u202falcohol use and breast cancer risk among women.\u202fURI nursing Associate Dean for Research and Scholarship Patricia Cioe<\/a> and Assistant Professor Erica Liebermann<\/a> will conduct in-depth online interviews (via Zoom) with healthcare providers, followed by a Zoom interview, during which the researchers will question participants about their\u202fperceptions\u202fof the relationship between alcohol use and breast cancer risk, the information and advice they share with patients, the barriers to these conversations, and ideas for tools or resources that could help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe are hoping to understand healthcare providers\u2019 perspectives on the importance of alcohol use in breast cancer development and risk, and the level of knowledge that healthcare providers have regarding the association,\u201d Cioe said. \u201cWe\u2019re hoping to understand what they share with patients about that risk, and whether or not they feel a need for further education on the subject.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The project originated from Cioe\u2019s involvement in a working group at Brown University School of Public Health, where Cioe is adjunct professor, that is focused on conveying the risks of alcohol use to patients who present for breast cancer screening (mammography). They plan to examine how much patients know about the association, and what types of behavioral changes they are willing to make to reduce risk. A personal experience Cioe had with her own healthcare provider prompted her to change the subjects in the new study.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI just happened to ask my healthcare provider their perspective regarding alcohol and breast cancer, and found my provider was not very concerned and said they did not talk with their patients about it,\u201d Cioe said. \u201cThat led me to think that in addition to looking at what could be done from the patient\u2019s perspective, we should think about the perspectives of healthcare providers around the state\u2014what advice they give to patients, and whether they would be interested in additional education related to counseling patients about alcohol use.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Continuing education on new guidelines is critical as research continues to evolve. For example, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism has stated that one drink a day for women, and two a day for men was considered a safe level. However, newer reporting from the U.S. Surgeon General states that essentially no level of alcohol is safe. Even one drink a day can increase cancer risk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cPractitioners are accustomed to emerging, shifting evidence. But it does challenge us to keep up with that information,\u201d said Liebermann, who is a nurse practitioner and expert on women\u2019s health. \u201cWe need to fully digest it, and then convey that to patients, who are sometimes less comfortable with the fluctuations in guidelines. I think there is a degree to which newer information in terms of risk is not talked about. There may be limited awareness among practitioners of the association, but I think it probably has more to do with practitioners not feeling inclined or equipped to talk to patients about it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n