The Dynamic Assessment and Referral System for Substance Abuse (DARSSA): Development, functionality, and end-user satisfaction (original) (raw)
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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 Abuse and Rehabilitation, 2012
While substance use problems are considered to be common in medical settings, they are not systematically assessed and diagnosed for treatment management. Research data suggest that the majority of individuals with a substance use disorder either do not use treatment or delay treatment-seeking for over a decade. The separation of substance abuse services from mainstream medical care and a lack of preventive services for substance abuse in primary care can contribute to under-detection of substance use problems. When fully enacted in 2014, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act 2010 will address these barriers by supporting preventive services for substance abuse (screening, counseling) and integration of substance abuse care with primary care.
This study explored how prescribers and pharmacists with access to Ohio Automated RX Reporting System (OARRS) provide intervention or referral to treatment for patients who may have a substance abuse disorder (SUD). It was designed to help: (a) better understand the level of confidence of prescribers and pharmacists in using OARRS and other tools in the practice of intervention and referral to treatment for SUD patients; and (b) assist with crafting appropriate policies and guidelines to enhance intervention and referral practices. The pharmacists and prescribers in OARRS database were surveyed in June and July, 2014 using Survey Monkey®. Prescribers included physicians (both MDs and DOs), dentists, physician assistants, and nurse practitioners with prescriptive authority. The survey instrument solicited responses in three areas: demographics (age, gender, and education), practice (primary practice setting, specialty, and primary position), and confidence in identifying drug diversi...
BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making, 2021
Background Hospitalized people with unhealthy substance use should be referred to treatment. Although inpatient referral resources are often available, clinicians report that outpatient referral networks are not well-established. The purpose of this manuscript is to describe the development and usability testing of a web-based Referral to Treatment Tool (RTT © 2020 Trustees of Indiana University, all rights reserved) designed to identify treatment centers for people with unhealthy substance use. Results The RTT was conceptualized, developed, and then populated with public use and local survey data of treatment centers from 14 market ZIP codes of hospitals participating in an SBIRT implementation study. The tool underwent initial heuristic testing, followed by usability testing at three hospitals within a large healthcare system in the Midwest region of the United States. Administrative (n = 6) and provider (n = 12) users of the RTT completed a list of tasks and provided feedback thr...
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.
Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 2012
Background: The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of an Internet-based screening and brief intervention (SBI) site for problematic alcohol and drug use among illicit drug users. Method: Individuals searching for information about alcohol or drugs online who scored over 0 on the Drug Use Disorders Identification Test (DUDIT) and were 15 years or older were recruited for this trial and randomized into one group receiving Internet-based screening and brief intervention via eScreen.se (n = 101) or one assessment-only control group (n = 101). Both groups were screened at baseline and followed up at 3 and 6 months. The primary outcome measure was the DUDIT-C score and secondary outcome measures were DUDIT, AUDIT-C (Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test-C) and AUDIT scores. Additional outcomes included the proportion of drug abstainers and those who made a clinically significant change in their alcohol and drug use. Four statistical models of analysis were used to conservatively assess results. Results: A significant decrease in DUDIT-C scores at the 3-month follow-up occurred in both groups. Three out of four statistical models showed a larger decrease in the DUDIT score in the intervention group than in the control group (p = 0.006; p = 0.046; p = 0.001). Two models showed a continued decrease in AUDIT-C and AUDIT scores also at the 6-month follow-up in the intervention group but not in the control group. No additional differences occurred. Conclusions: The results are inconclusive but provide some evidence that SBI sites such as eScreen.se could be effective for short-term reductions of problematic substance use.
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...
General Hospital Psychiatry, 2013
Objective: The objective was to identify a potential core set of brief screeners for the detection of individuals with a substance use disorder (SUD) in medical settings. Method: Data were from two multisite studies that evaluated stimulant use outcomes of an abstinence-based contingency management intervention as an addition to usual care (National Drug Abuse Treatment Clinical Trials Network trials 006-007). The sample comprised 847 substance-using adults who were recruited from 12 outpatient substance abuse treatment settings across the United States. Alcohol and drug use disorders were assessed by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Checklist. Data were analyzed by factor analysis, item response theory (IRT), sensitivity and specificity procedures. Results: Comparatively prevalent symptoms of dependence, especially inability to cut down for all substances, showed high sensitivity for detecting an SUD (low rate of false negative). IRT-defined severe (infrequent) and low discriminative items, especially withdrawal for alcohol, cannabis and cocaine, had low sensitivity in identifying cases of an SUD. IRT-defined less severe (frequent) and high discriminative items, including inability to cut down or taking larger amounts than intended for all substances and withdrawal for amphetamines and opioids, showed good-to-high values of area under the receiver operating characteristic curve in classifying cases and noncases of an SUD. Conclusion: Findings suggest the feasibility of identifying psychometrically reliable substance dependence symptoms to develop a two-item screen for alcohol and drug disorders.
Developing a National Addiction Treatment Information System
Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 1999
The purpose of this article is to test the applicability and utility of the Drug Evaluation Network Study (DENS), a timely electronic information system that tracks trends in substance abuse treatment. This article examines existing large-scale data collection efforts, discusses the rationale and design of the DENS system, and presents results of the DENS pilot phase. Clinical staff from more than 40 service delivery units in five cities were trained to conduct intake assessments on laptop computers with the computerized Addiction Severity Index (ASI). The DENS computer system also included an automatic data transfer protocol to allow regular transmission of ASIs and other data, to a central server at Treatment Research Institute (TRI). Descriptive information and discharge status were also collected. Several problems were encountered during the early stages of the pilot phase, including obtaining consecutive cases from treatment programs, computerization and software application, treatment staff turnover, and assuring quality of data. Data is presented on 4,300 adults entering drug and/or alcohol treatment in the non-randomly selected DENS pilot programs between June 1996, and April 6, 1998. Various examples of how DENS data can be used are presented.