Screening & Brief Intervention for Substance Misuse

The Screening and Brief Intervention for Substance Misuse topic includes research on ways to quickly screen for substance-related disorders and the immediate, brief intervention for the screened condition.

Substance use disorders (SUDs) occur in every socioeconomic class and racial and ethnic group and require a comprehensive approach to screening. Recognized as an effective strategy to reduce substance use and misuse in adults, screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment (SBIRT) involves screening individuals for risk of substance use and misuse, briefly intervening with a conversation about harmful substance use, and referring individuals for treatment, as needed.

Although evidence-based screening tools have been validated for internal medicine settings, more research is needed to determine the best drug use screening approaches in other settings, including OB-GYN, pain management, and dental settings. Additionally, implementation of SBIRT in health care settings remains low; more work is needed on ways to effectively implement and scale SBIRT across diverse systems and settings.