Online Versus In-Person Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment Training in Pediatrics Residents

Abstract

Background Pediatricians underestimate the prevalence of substance misuse among children and adolescents and often fail to screen for and intervene in practice. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends training in Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT), but training outcomes and skill acquisition are rarely assessed. Objective We compared the effects of online versus in-person SBIRT training on pediatrics residents' knowledge, attitudes, behaviors, and skills. Methods Forty pediatrics residents were randomized to receive either online or in-person training. Skills were assessed by pre- and posttraining standardized patient interviews that were coded for SBIRT-adherent and -nonadherent behaviors and global skills by 2 trained coders. Thirty-two residents also completed pre- and postsurveys of their substance use knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors (KABs). Two-way repeated measures multivariate analyses of variance (MANOVAs) and analyses of variance (ANOVAs) estimates were used to assess group differences in skill acquisition and KABs. Results Findings indicated that both groups demonstrated skill improvement from pre- to postassessment. Results indicated that both groups increased their knowledge, self-reported behaviors, confidence, and readiness with no significant between-group differences. Follow-up univariate analyses indicated that, while both groups increased their SBIRT-adherent skills, the online training group displayed more “undesirable” behaviors posttraining. Conclusions The current study indicates that brief training, online or in-person, can increase pediatrics residents' SBIRT skills, knowledge, self-reported behaviors, confidence, and readiness. The findings further indicate that in-person training may have incremental benefit in teaching residents what not to do.

Assessment of Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment Training to Interprofessional Health-Care Students

“…The multidisciplinary health-care students reported increased knowledge about the subject and confidence using SBIRT in their future careers. The evaluation results were similar to studies done individually with medical residents and social workers, where students had a greater understanding of substance use and abuse after completing SBIRT training (Guidice et al, 2015;Osborne & Benner, 2012). Interestingly, our study included a variety of health profession students and academicians in several higher education institutions promoting the use of IPE and collaboration to effectively deliver SBIRT training in contrast to previous research that was done with pediatric medical residents alone (Guidice et al, 2015).…”

Using Social Media to Enhance Provider Network for HIV and Harm Reduction Service Integration in Vietnam

“…The format of the in-person meetings was interactive to attract greater attention and engagement of the participants. Thus, in-person sessions were more appropriate for knowledge acquiring and skill building than online learning [43]. On the other hand, online education has widely recognized benefits, such as accessibility, convenience, flexibility, and low cost [44].…”

The Feasibility and Effectiveness of Online Guided Imagery Training for Health Professionals

“…20,29,30 In general, compared with in-person trainings, online training is less expensive and more convenient. 31,32 Additional research is needed to better delineate the relative costs and effectiveness of online versus in-person mind-body skills training programs for health professionals. One of the implications of our study is that health professionals that complete online training in guided imagery may be more capable of using these techniques with their patients.…”