Examining multi-session brief intervention for substance use in primary care: research methods of a randomized controlled trial (original) (raw)
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Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 2009
Objectives: Alcohol screening and brief interventions in medical settings can significantly reduce alcohol use. Corresponding data for illicit drug use is sparse. A Federally funded screening, brief interventions, referral to treatment (SBIRT) service program, the largest of its kind to date, was initiated by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) in a wide variety of medical settings. We compared illicit drug use at intake and 6 months after drug screening and interventions were administered. Design: SBIRT services were implemented in a range of medical settings across six states. A diverse patient population (Alaska Natives, American Indians, African-Americans, Caucasians, Hispanics), was screened and offered score-based progressive levels of intervention (brief intervention, brief treatment, referral to specialty treatment). In this secondary analysis of the SBIRT service program, drug use data was compared at intake and at a 6-month follow-up, in a sample of a randomly selected population (10%) that screened positive at baseline. Results: Of 459,599 patients screened, 22.7% screened positive for a spectrum of use (risky/problematic, abuse/addiction). The majority were recommended for a brief intervention (15.9%), with a smaller percentage recommended for brief treatment (3.2%) or referral to specialty treatment (3.7%). Among those reporting baseline illicit drug use, rates of drug use at 6-month follow-up (4 of 6 sites), were 67.7% lower (p < 0.001) and heavy alcohol use was 38.6% lower (p < 0.001), with comparable findings across sites, gender, race/ethnic, age subgroups. Among persons recommended for brief treatment or referral to specialty treatment, self-reported improvements in general health (p < 0.001), mental health (p < 0.001), employment (p < 0.001), housing status (p < 0.001), and criminal behavior (p < 0.001) were found. Conclusions: SBIRT was feasible to implement and the self-reported patient status at 6 months indicated significant improvements over baseline, for illicit drug use and heavy alcohol use, with functional domains improved, across a range of health care settings and a range of patients. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.
Journal of substance abuse treatment, 2015
This study examined outcomes through 12months from a randomized trial comparing computerized brief intervention (CBI) vs. in-person brief intervention (IBI) delivered by behavioral health counselors for adult community health center patients with moderate-level drug misuse (N=360). Data were collected at baseline, 3-, 6-, and 12-month follow-up, and included the Alcohol, Smoking, and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST) and laboratory analysis of hair samples. Repeated measures analyses examined differential change over time. There were no significant differences in drug-positive hair tests over time or by condition. Global ASSIST scores decreased in both conditions (p<.001), but there were no significant differences between conditions in overall change across 12months of follow-up (p=.13). CBI produced greater overall reductions in alcohol (p=.04) and cocaine (p=.02) ASSIST scores than IBI, with initial differences dissipating over time. Computerized brief interventions...
The journal of behavioral health services & research, 2017
Linking individuals in primary care settings with substance use disorders (SUDs) to SUD treatment has proven to be challenging, despite the widespread use of Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT). This paper reports findings from a pilot study that examined the efficacy of the Recovery Management Checkups intervention adapted for primary care settings (RMC-PC), for assertively linking and engaging patients from Federally Qualified Health Centers into SUD treatment. Findings showed that patients in the RMC-PC (n=92) had significantly higher rates of SUD treatment entry and received more days of SUD treatment compared with those who receive the usual SBIRT referral (n=50). Receipt of RMC-PC had both direct and indirect effects, partially mediated through days of SUD treatment, on reducing days of drug use at 6 months post intake. RMC-PC is a promising intervention to address the need for more assertive methods for linking patients in primary care to SUD trea...
Addiction Science & Clinical Practice, 2012
Background: A substantial body of research has established the effectiveness of brief interventions for problem alcohol use. Following these studies, national dissemination projects of screening, brief intervention (BI), and referral to treatment (SBIRT) for alcohol and drugs have been implemented on a widespread scale in multiple states despite little existing evidence for the impact of BI on drug use for non-treatment seekers. This article describes the design of a study testing the impact of SBIRT on individuals with drug problems, its contributions to the existing literature, and its potential to inform drug policy. Methods/design: The study is a randomized controlled trial of an SBIRT intervention carried out in a primary care setting within a safety net system of care. Approximately 1,000 individuals presenting for scheduled medical care at one of seven designated primary care clinics who endorse problematic drug use when screened are randomized in a 1:1 ratio to BI versus enhanced care as usual (ECAU). Individuals in both groups are reassessed at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months after baseline. Self-reported drug use and other psychosocial measures collected at each data point are supplemented by urine analysis and public health-related data from administrative databases.
Screening, treatment initiation, and referral for substance use disorders
Addiction Science & Clinical Practice, 2017
Substance use remains a leading cause of preventable death globally. A model of intervention known as screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment (SBIRT) was developed decades ago to facilitate time-and resource-sensitive interventions in acute care and outpatient settings. SBIRT, which includes a psychosocial intervention incorporating the principles of motivational interviewing, has been shown to be effective in reducing alcohol consumption and consequences in unhealthy drinkers both in primary care and emergency department settings. Subsequently, SBIRT for unhealthy alcohol use has been endorsed by governmental agencies and professional societies in multiple countries. Although most trials support the efficacy of SBIRT for unhealthy alcohol use (McQueen et al. in Cochrane Database Syst Rev 8, 2011; Kaner et al. in Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2, 2007; O'Donnell et al. in Alcohol Alcohol 49(1):66-78, 2014), results are heterogenous; negative studies exist. A newer approach to screening and intervention for substance use can incorporate initiation of medication management at the index visit, for individuals willing to do so, and for providers and healthcare systems that are appropriately trained and resourced. Our group has conducted two successful trials of an approach we call screening, treatment initiation, and referral (STIR). In one trial, initiation of nicotine pharmacotherapy coupled with screening and brief counseling in adult smokers resulted in sustained biochemically confirmed abstinence. In a second trial, initiation of buprenorphine for opioid dependent individuals resulted in greater engagement in treatment at 30 days and greater self-reported abstinence. STIR may offer a new, clinically effective approach to the treatment of substance use in clinical care settings.
Substance Use Disorder - New Research Perspectives in the Diagnosis, Treatment, and Prognosis [Working Title]
It is found that substance use and related complications extend from occasional mild risky/harmful/hazardous use to severe conditions. The screening instruments may help to identify them in the initial state. The brief intervention (BI) is to bring change in unhealthy or risky substance use. The intervention is carried out by a vast array of trained professionals in various settings and it is valid across substances, age and ethno-culture groups. It has six common elements summarized by the acronym FRAMES (Feedback, Responsibility, Advise, Menu for change, Empathy and enhancing Self-efficacy). The BI has shown significant evidence of efficacy reducing substances and their harmful consequences with improving functionality and quality of life.
Journal of racial and ethnic health disparities, 2019
Background Substance use disorders (SUDs) pose a significant public health concern. Previous findings, while equivocal, demonstrate screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment (SBIRT) is effective in reducing substance use and improving overall health. While race/ethnic and sex differences in SBIRT outcomes exist, racial/ethnic differences within sex groups remain unclear. The present study sought to quantify differences within race/ethnicity and sex in drug and alcohol use following SBIRT screenings. Methods Using health service data (N = 29,121) from a Midwestern state in four federally qualified health centers (FQHC) from 2012 to 2016, we assessed racial/ethnic and sex differences in the effect of SBIRT screening on alcohol and drug use between visits. We used McNemar's tests and multiple logistic regression to predict substance use at follow-up visits. Results We found a significant race/ethnicity by sex interaction predicting a positive alcohol prescreening (p < 0.001), precipitating a full alcohol screening, and subsequent hazardous drinking (p < 0.001) at full alcohol screening follow-up. Black males demonstrated the largest reduction in positive alcohol prescreenings at follow-up (9.24%). Patients identifying as White, Black, or Other demonstrated a reduction in hazardous drinking, though effect sizes were small and not clinically meaningful. No interactions in our drug outcome models were significant. Conclusion SBIRT is useful in addressing health services equity among Black and male populations. Public health policy should support universal substance use screening and targeting interventions for underserved groups in clinical facilities likely to benefit the most. Resources should be directed to groups with the most pressing SUD treatment needs.
Addiction (Abingdon, England), 2015
To assess the effect of a multi-component primary care delivered brief intervention for reducing risky psychoactive drug use (RDU) among patients identified by screening. Multicenter single-blind two-arm randomized controlled trial of patients enrolled from February 2011 to November 2012 with 3-month follow-up. Randomization and allocation to trial group were computer-generated. Primary care waiting rooms of five federally qualified health centers in Los Angeles County (LAC), USA. A total of 334 adult primary care patients (171 intervention; 163 control) with RDU scores (4-26) on the World Health Organization (WHO) Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST) self-administered on tablet computers. 261 (78%) completed follow-up. Mean age was 41.7 years; 62.9% were male; 37.7% were Caucasian. Intervention patients received brief (typically 3-4 minutes) clinician advice to quit/reduce their drug use reinforced by a video doctor message, health education booklet an...
Canadian Journal of Community Mental Health, 2011
although brief intervention (bi) is an empirically validated treatment modality for alcohol dependence, it has generally failed to gain wide acceptance in practice. Most studies have focused exclusively on individuals with alcohol problems, and little is known about the effectiveness for patients with other drug problems. the objective of this study was to examine the effectiveness of bi compared to standard therapy for drug and alcohol dependence in an outpatient treatment program. the study was conducted at the addictions unit of the Mcgill university Health centre in Montreal. the trial compared 72 patients randomly assigned at intake to an individual 5-session brief intervention (bi) or a 6-month conventional treatment (ct) consisting of individual and group therapy. at 6 months' follow-up, the bi (N = 19) and ct (N = 20) groups were compared in terms of substance use, psychological, health, and occupational outcomes. there were approximately equivalent changes in both treatment groups compared to intake. under the conditions of the present trial, ct did not show superiority over bi, providing additional support for the notion that bi can be an effective first step in the treatment of alcohol and drug dependence in a variety of health care settings.