Integrating adolescent substance abuse screening, brief intervention and treatment in health professions education

Background Substance abuse remains one of the largest public health issues facing our society. Early alcohol and drug use is linked to a range of immediate and long-term consequences (e.g., academic, brain development, and later dependence). Although studies such as the Youth Risk Behavior Survey and National Survey on Drug Use and Health have recently shown stable or slight decline in the use of alcohol and certain drugs, alcohol remains the drug of choice, marijuana use has increased, and perceptions of harm has decreased. [1,2] Opportunities to address substance use exist in a range of settings where nurses, social workers and other health professionals work with youth yet training and adoption of adolescent screening and brief intervention has been slow. The cost of substance use disorders, in both adults and adolescents, could be reduced through the SAMHSA-backed prevention and early identification procedure of Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT), a cost-effective and widely-supported prevention framework. Research has shown SBIRT to be effective for the early identification of problematic alcohol use, with growing but inconsistent evidence for its effectiveness with other risky drug use. However, there is little substance use training in social work and nursing programs. SBIRT education is often optional or specialized, rather than being required coursework.