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Abstract
Aims: Research has reported a lack of practice of early intervention for substance use disorders among primary healthcare professionals, and only a fraction of patients were asked about their substance use when visiting a primary healthcare office. This study examines conditions that may influence the adoption of early intervention [i.e., screening, brief intervention and referral to treatment (SBIRT)] among primary healthcare professionals. Methods: A pilot survey was emailed to primary care physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants in New York State, and 248 recipients responded to the survey. Findings: Three areas appear to be associated with the adoption of SBIRT: percentage of respondents’ patients using marijuana (β = 0.14; p < 0.05); perceived ability to perform intervention (β = 0.32; p < 0.05); and perception of early intervention as a responsibility of primary care professionals (β = 0.29; p < 0.05). Conclusions: Training and education to promote SBIRT for primary care workers should focus on increasing their favourable attitudes towards the intervention as a strategy of preventive medicine and include the knowledge of the infrastructure of services for substance use disorders, especially for medical providers who see large numbers of patients at a high risk for alcohol and drug misuse.
Acknowledgements
The authors thank Shirley DeStafeno, Megan O'Grady, PhD, and Rebecca McDonald for assistance in development of the survey tool and distribution protocol.
Declaration of interest
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
This study was funded in part by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT) (Grant # TI023470). The funding source had no involvement in the conduct of the research or preparation of the article.