Mental and Social Health Commons^™

A Quality Improvement Project For Co-Occurring Disorders In Outpatient Behavioral Health, Erin Sheehan

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Projects

Purpose: Patients with mental health diagnoses often have co-occurring alcohol use disorders, which can exacerbate their psychiatric symptoms. A standardized assessment tool should be utilized for screening for alcohol use disorders in outpatient mental health programs so that interventions can be implemented when a co-occurring disorder is identified. The purpose of this project was to provide clinicians with education and to improve the process for screening patients with mental health disorders for problematic drinking behaviors to implement recommended interventions when appropriate to improve the overall quality of the patient’s care and increase the clinician’s knowledge and confidence in treating co-occurring …