Alcohol and Drug Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) Training and Implementation: Perspectives from 4 Health Professions

Abstract

SBIRT can be a valuable approach to screening and treatment for SUDs when delivered by a range of healthcare professionals. A more nuanced understanding of the assumptions and characteristics of each profession, informed by the emerging field of implementation science, may shape more effective training curricula and highlight interprofessional models of SBIRT delivery that maximize the strengths of each profession.

Screening, brief intervention and referral to treatment (SBIRT) training for nurses in acute care settings: Lessons learned

“…Although 58% of site coordinators agreed they were ready to implement SBIRT after the training, others were hesitant, and several coordinators qualitatively expressed concern regarding their ability to support SBIRT implementation. This is not surprising given the training challenges identified in prior research (Wamsley et al, 2018). At the same time, the site coordinators were provided with an atypically high amount of systematic and implementation-related content within the training (e.g., versus clinically-focused content), even compared to robust, strategically-developed SBIRT curricula for nurses (Broyles, Kraemer, Kengor, & Gordon, 2013).…”

“…Nurses are well-equipped and positioned to deliver SBIRT interventions. While training strategies have been developed and are feasible across a variety of settings (Mitchell et al, 2017;Cook et al, 2018), several challenges remain for SBIRT in nursing, including inadequate training and knowledge, an absence of implementation and workflow protocols, concerns about the time needed to deliver interventions, a lack of common data elements in the electronic medical record (EMR), role ambiguity, and reimbursement policies (Wamsley et al, 2018). As part of a waitlist randomized cluster trial for implementation of SBIRT in a large Midwestern…”

Innovations in pre‐doctoral dental education: Influencing attitudes and opinions about patients with substance use disorder

“…The dental school initiative in SBIRT training was an innovative curricular change when we started planning this project. Training and implementation strategies for SBIRT are largely underdeveloped 41 even in medical education. Our model of inter‐professional collaboration is a useful addition to the evidence base.…”

“…SBIRT training is an effective tool but the application of knowledge and skills may differ by educational specialty 39 . The SBIRT model relies heavily on a well‐defined and operational workflow in the clinical setting 40 and there are concerns about whether SBIRT can be implemented at clinic sites without the benefit of grant funding 41 . The attitudes of dentists and patients toward chair‐side screening for medical conditions are evolving and changes in dental school curriculum approaches to mental health education are important in achieving successful intervention outcomes and may define the future of dental practice 42,43 …”

Training health providers to address unhealthy alcohol use in primary care: a cross-sectional, multicenter study

“…In relation to the healthcare profession, our study does not reveal a significant relationship between the training received on alcohol use and the different health professions, although our data does show that family physicians have higher levels of training on alcohol consumption than the nursing group. In 2018 Wamsley et al [ 35 ] analysed the training differences between health professionals. In the case of doctors, the training received is oriented towards the diagnosis and treatment of acute and chronic diseases, with levels of postgraduate training on alcohol and other drugs varying depending on medical specialty.…”