Alcohol & Health
Treatment
Helping Alcoholics
Medically Reviewed by Annamarie Coy, BA, ICPR, MATS
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Screening, Brief Intervention & Referral to Treatment is otherwise known as SBIRT. It is an approach to delivering early intervention and treatment to individuals with substance use disorders and people at risk for developing them.
SBIRT was introduced after the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), created in 1982 by the World Health Organization. It is essentially a screening tool for determining if people would likely benefit from substance use and alcohol addiction treatment.
AUDIT has been proven to be effective at identifying people struggling with alcohol addiction. Still, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) created SBIRT in 2003 to assess the misuse of other drugs.
Depending on the program, various medical providers can perform SBIRT. It is essential to note that there may be different criteria for Medicaid versus Medicare-covered SBIRT.
Qualified providers include:
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There are three primary components of SBIRT. These include screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment.
Each part of SBIRT is unique and collectively helps determine how to help people who require substance abuse treatment services.
The initial SBIRT screening includes pre-screening individuals and asking them about their risky behaviors and habits. Usually, there are different screening tests candidates can receive.
These tests include:
Depending on the type of screening test, the following questions differ slightly but will still be similar. Screens receive a positive or negative score.
If the result is a positive score, candidates are divided by their risk of substance use. The risks are divided by low risk, moderate risk, and high risk. Moderate and high-risk candidates are recommended for a brief intervention.
Examples of SBIRT questions include:
After the screening process, the next step is a brief intervention. The goal of brief interventions is to discuss risky substance use behaviors and problems with candidates.
The individual may receive informational or educational material that helps them undergo treatment or change their behaviors. A brief treatment period may be introduced if a person is open to discussing treatment services or changing their behaviors.
During the brief treatment stage, a patient educator or other healthcare professional meets an individual for several sessions. During these sessions, they will discuss risky behavioral problems, health problems, and substance use with the client.
The final step of the program involves referral to treatment services. Many people scoring in the moderate to high-risk groups are already in treatment or considering it. For those not yet involved in a treatment program, this stage encourages them to seek treatment.
In some circumstances, individuals will enter the brief treatment stage again.
The purpose of the 4 P’s for substance use screening is to identify pregnant women and parents at risk for alcohol, tobacco, and drug use.10 The 4 P’s works as a short screening tool to quickly and efficiently identify expectant mothers requiring an assessment or follow-up monitoring.
Screening patients for substance abuse with the 4 P’s may also lead to further questions concerning depression and domestic violence risk.
The 4 P’s stand for:
The mother is asked about her parent’s drug and alcohol use to learn more about the patient’s experiences with parenting.
The mother is asked about her partner’s use of drugs and alcohol. This provides information of the contact and company the mother surrounds herself with. This question is also crucial in learning about whether the mother suffers from domestic violence.
The mother is asked about her personal use of beer, wine, liquor, cigarettes, and other drugs taken at any time in her life. It is essential to specify ‘beer, wine, or liquor’ instead of ‘alcohol’ as some families do not consider beer or wine as alcohol.
The mother is asked about her substance use in the month before discovering she was pregnant. It is essential to ask about the month before she knew she was pregnant instead of the month before she was pregnant. This reduces defensive responding and normalizes the questions.
The mother is asked how frequently she is currently using alcohol, cigarettes, and other drugs.
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The efficiency of SBIRT has been proven with evidence.
Heavy drinkers who received an intervention were twice as likely to receive treatment than those without intervention.3
Likewise, in the past ten years, alcohol and other drug use rates have reduced by 39 percent and 68 percent.3 Finally, evidence shows that SBIRT is an effective way to lessen risky behaviors and substance abuse in the United States.
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SBIRT can be performed throughout the continuum of healthcare and for a variety of patient populations. It is recommended particularly for those who may have an alcohol use disorder (AUD) and are looking to stop drinking.
SBIRT has proven many benefits. This includes its efficacy and cost-effectiveness.
Research shows that there was an 89 percent cost savings per patient screened under the program. There were savings of $330 per patient intervention. Estimated potential savings from funded programs may reach 1.5 billion dollars annually.3
Additionally, the program does not require comprehensive education or training. Implementation can occur from various healthcare providers, including social workers, nurses, and health educators.
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