Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT): A Public Health Approach to the Secondary Prevention of Alcohol, Tobacco and Drug-related Problems

Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) is a comprehensive approach to the delivery of early intervention and treatment services through universal screening for persons with substance use disorders and those at risk. This poster describes McReeThe corpus of translational research includes the psychometric development of screening tests, clinical trials of brief interventions and implementation research. Beginning in the 1980's, concerted efforts were made in the US and at the World Health Organization to provide an evidence base for screening and brief intervention in primary health care settings for risky drinking and at-risk drug use. Parallel research was conducted on screening for tobacco use and the evaluation of smoking cessation programs. With the accumulation of positive evidence from clinical trials of efficacy, implementation research on alcohol SBI was begun in the 1990's, followed by national demonstration programs in the US and other countries. The results of these efforts demonstrate the cumulative benefit of translational research on health care delivery systems and substance abuse policy. That SBIRT yields short term improvements in individuals' health is irrefutable; long-term effects on population health have not yet been demonstrated, but simulation models suggest that the benefits could be substantial.