A step-by-step guide for implementing alcohol screening & brief intervention in primary care: pilot & evaluation in three U.S. settings

Background Risky alcohol use can cause a range of negative consequences, including motor vehicle crashes, intimate partner violence, and medical conditions such as hypertension, gastritis, liver disease, and various cancers [1]. Alcohol use during pregnancy can result in miscarriage, stillbirth, and fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs) [2,3]. Over thirty years of research has shown that alcohol screening and brief intervention (SBI) is effective at reducing risky drinking. Yet, it has not been integrated widely into clinical settings. In 2014, CDC released Planning and Implementing Screening and Brief Intervention for Risky Alcohol Use: A Step-by-Step Guide for Primary Care Practices [4]. The guide provides a practical process that primary care settings can use to implement alcohol SBI. Prior to publication, a draft version of the guide was tested with three CDC-funded FASD Regional Training Centers (RTCs) to implement alcohol SBI as routine care for all adults in 10 primary care clinics in Alaska, Nevada, and Tennessee.