The SBIRT practice
- People who use alcohol and other drugs can benefit from universal screenings.
- Screening is the first step for prevention and serves as a powerful education tool.
- Research proves that screening within a healthcare setting can motivate people to make changes.
- The benefit of the SBIRT practice can extend well beyond people who use alcohol or other drugs --– to the person’s family and employer, to law enforcement and to the healthcare industry.
- Substance use affects so many people’s lives and is one of America’s top preventable health issues.
- Current treatment resources address only dependent users, for whom treatment is more expensive.
- For every $100 spent on substance abuse problems in Colorado, only $0.06 is spent on treatment or prevention. This is less than two percent of the average spent on abuse problems in other states.
The SBIRT process
The Colorado Clinical Guidelines Collaborative Alcohol and Substance Use Guideline details the SBIRT process briefly outlined here.| Prescreen: Healthcare professionals conduct universal screening of patients for alcohol and other drug use.
Screen: For those with a positive prescreen, further screening is conducted by a healthcare professional with standardized screening tools such as the ASSIST, AUDIT, DAST or CRAFFT. Brief Intervention: If a patient screens positive, a brief intervention, is conducted using Motivational Interviewing techniques to establish an open and trusted dialogue that encourages change. Brief Therapy: Brief therapy consists of several sessions and includes motivational interviewing and self-determination theory principles. Referral to Treatment: A patient may be referred to a more intensive or specialized treatment program during the initial screening, after the brief intervention, or at the completion of the brief treatment. A referral coordinator facilitates placing the patient in the right level and type of treatment option. |
