Systematic review about alcohol consumption among Italian healthcare workers

Healthcare workers (HCWs) are professionals exposed to night shifts and compassion fatigue, which can lead to significant health problems; alcohol consumption can worsen the situation. This study aims to determine the prevalence of alcohol consumption among Italian HCWs. Four international databases (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and CINAHL Plus) were searched for a systematic review of the literature on aetiology and risk factors. The search yielded 520 results. Finally, 11 studies were selected in this systematic search. All the studies considered were cross-sectional. The range of alcohol consumption across the selected studies is 14% to 77.4%. The high risk for the AUDIT-C scale ranged from 8.16% to 27.1% Alcohol use among healthcare workers (HCWs) is a significant problem in Italy. While this review confirms that alcohol use is significant among Italian healthcare workers, the findings are notably inconsistent across different professional roles. The need for validated tools and representative sampling to properly address occupational risk factors in the health sector is urgent.