Background: Healthcare professionals, particularly nurses working in hospital wards and specialized de-addiction centers, are frequently exposed to high-stress work environments, shift work, and high-patient-acuity scenarios. These factors contribute to a heightened risk of unhealthy coping mechanisms, including excessive alcohol consumption. Simultaneously, nurses require ongoing, specialized education regarding early identification, intervention, and evidence-based management of alcohol use disorders (AUD) in patients. Video-assisted educational programmes (VAPs) have emerged as a flexible, visual, and highly impactful pedagogical tool in nursing education and self-directed health behaviour interventions.

Objective: To systematically review and meta-analyze the effectiveness of Video-Assisted Educational Programmes (VAPs) in improving alcohol-related knowledge and altering attitudes/behaviours regarding excessive alcohol use among nurses employed in hospital and de-addiction settings.

Methods: Electronic databases (PubMed/MEDLINE, CINAHL, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, and PsycINFO) were systematically searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and quasi-experimental pre-test/post-test studies evaluating VAP interventions targeted at hospital and de-addiction nurses. Primary outcomes evaluated were knowledge scores regarding alcohol misuse/pharmacotherapy/screening tools and self-reported alcohol consumption/attitudinal behaviour scores. Standardized Mean Differences (SMD) with 95% Confidence Intervals (CI) were synthesized using random-effects meta-analysis models.

Results: A total of 14 studies involving 1,820 nurses met the inclusion criteria. Meta-analysis demonstrated a statistically significant increase in post-intervention alcohol-related knowledge scores in the VAP group compared to standard/control groups ( ). VAPs significantly improved nurses' screening and intervention competency (e.g., AUDIT, SBIRT delivery) ( ). Regarding nurses' personal alcohol-related behaviors and risk reduction, VAP interventions resulted in a moderate reduction in excessive alcohol risk perception and reported heavy episodic drinking ( ).

Conclusion: Video-Assisted Educational Programmes are highly effective in augmenting alcohol-related professional knowledge, clinical screening self-efficacy, and promoting healthier personal attitudes and behaviors regarding excessive alcohol use among nurses in both hospital and specialized de-addiction environments.