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326389
Alcohol Screening and Brief Intervention in Primary Care: Strategies for Successful Implementation


Sunday, November 1, 2015

Roger Zoorob, MD MPH FAAFP, Department of Family and Community Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
Sandra Gonzalez, MSSW, LCSW, Department of Family and Community Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
Heather Snell, MSPH
Maria Mejia de Grubb, MD, MPH, Family and Community Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
Excessive alcohol consumption is a significant public health problem.  Alcohol screening and brief intervention (SBI) programs have been shown to be effective in reducing harmful drinking; however, implementation of these programs in primary care has not been consistent.  

The aim of this project was to identify barriers and facilitators encountered during the implementation of an SBI program in an underserved, urban, primary care system. 

A continuous quality improvement (CQI) process was undertaken to assess the uptake of SBI in two family medicine clinics.  Training opportunities and consistent feedback were provided to all personnel involved in the program.  Data were collected regarding screening, intervention, and follow up rates for all eligible patients over a two year period.  

The modifications made during the CQI process resulted in greater compliance and more accurate reporting among staff and providers.  Screening rates also improved at both sites.  

A successful SBI program must address knowledge and attitudes related to alcohol misuse, provide a mechanism for providing feedback, and offer training opportunities to all personnel involved.  Buy-in from medical staff and providers, support from administration, and advocacy efforts aimed at addressing reimbursement issues are also essential components.  Primary care providers play a vital role in reducing the adverse health and social effects of risky alcohol consumption.  Strategic implementation and monitoring of SBI programs is essential to their success.

Learning Areas:

Chronic disease management and prevention
Implementation of health education strategies, interventions and programs
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs
Provision of health care to the public

Learning Objectives:
Assess the organizations' readiness for SBI implementation. Identify 3 solutions to commonly encountered barriers in SBI implementation. Evaluate the effectiveness of the SBI program using quality assurance methods.

Keyword(s): Alcohol Use, Prevention

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have been the principal investigator of multiple federally funded research and training programs focusing on the alcohol education, FASD prevention, and training of healthcare professionals, residents, and medical students. I served for over a decade as PI and Director of the CDC-funded “Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) Regional Training Center.” This training grant was supplemented by funding to develop and implement screening and brief intervention (SBI) programs in primary care settings.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

Back to: 2060.0: Screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment (SBIRT): programs and opportunities