Screening, Brief Intervention, Referral and Treatment (SBIRT)

There are over 20 million Americans who meet the medical definition of abuse or addiction to drugs and alcohol.

Over 94% of those Americans are unaware that they need help and have not sought treatment or intervention. The majority of Americans see a health care provider at least once a year. By encouraging health care professionals to identify at-risk populations and intervene early, we can significantly reduce the abuse of alcohol and addiction to drugs among Americans.

These research-based intervention dialogs help explain to patients the consequences of drug use and provides them with a solid strategy to reduce or eliminate substance use. Existing substance abuse intervention programs already have a record of success with regard to reducing substance abuse and other health problems associated with drug use.

The Federal Government has established a demonstration program entitled “Screening, Brief Intervention, Referral and Treatment” (SBIRT).

This program has begun screening and providing brief interventions in hospitals, primary care settings, colleges, and one tribal council. To date, Federally-funded SBIRT programs have been established in 17 States: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Mexico, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, Tennessee, Washington, and Wisconsin. As of January 2007, more than 460,000 patients have been screened as part of the SBIRT demonstration program. Of these, 14.9% received a brief intervention; 2.6% received brief drug treatment; and 3.2% were referred to specialized drug treatment programs. A six month follow-up review of patients showed significant declines in substance abuse after the brief interventions.