Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT): Northern Kentucky University, Greater Cincinnati Region

‌The Northern Kentucky University (NKU) SBIRT Health Professions Student Training Project is aimed at developing and providing hands-on training to both undergraduate and graduate students at NKU. The primary focus is to provide transdisciplinary training to future nurses, social workers, counselors, and human services/addictions workers, who will soon be entering the professional workforce in their chosen capacities.

The three-year federally funded grant from Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has several long-term goals:

SBIRT screening Card

The SBIRT pocket card was developed for use as a guide for health professionals and other providers during a brief alcohol or substance use intervention with patients. One side of the card includes brief substance use screening questions, low-risk alcohol consumption chart, a definition of risk categories and recommended actions. The other side identifies misuse through a five-step brief intervention procedure, includes a summary of key interviewing questions and techniques, and provides a readiness-to-change scale to share as a visual aid with patients.

Goals

Develop competency in healthcare professionals for screening, providing brief interventions, and making referrals to substance use treatment as early interventions for risky substance users
Train 60 NKU students and 300 community providers in SBIRT over three years
Integrate SBIRT screening and best practices into the regional healthcare system
Establish SBIRT as a permanent part of the curriculum of each of the participating NKU disciplines
Develop a web-based clearinghouse for training and access to SAMHSA and SBIRT resources

What is SBIRT?

^{SBIRT team members (from left) Linda Wermeling, Amy Shay, Kesha Nelson and David Wilkerson.}

SBIRT is an evidence-based approach to the delivery of screening, early intervention and treatment to people with substance use disorders and those at risk of developing these disorders. Screening quickly assesses the severity of substance use; brief intervention focuses on increasing the person’s insight and awareness regarding substance use; and referral to treatment provides those identified as needing more extensive treatment access to specialty care. SBIRT is based on motivational interviewing strategies.

SCREENING: Universal screening for quickly assessing use and severity of alcohol; illicit drugs; and prescription drug use, misuse, and abuse.

BRIEF INTERVENTION: Brief motivational and awareness-raising interventions are most effective for risky or problematic substance users. Asking permission, assessing readiness to change, and making a plan for change works.

REFERRAL to TREATMENT: Referring those who are high risk or dependent on substances may require a referral to more intensive/specialized substance use treatment.

Why use SBIRT?

SBIRT identifies the at risk alcohol and drug users, who greatly outnumber the dependent users
Risky alcohol and drug use are major preventable public health problems causing over 100,000 deaths annually

The social cost of unsafe and risky alcohol and drug use exceeds $600 billion a year
Effects of unhealthy and unsafe alcohol and drug use have far-reaching implications for the individual, family, workplace, community, and the health care system.

SBIRT Training

The NKU SBIRT team is funded by SAMHSA to provide training to community healthcare and behavioral healthcare providers in addition to its student training project. Training is tailored to meet the need of each organization and includes programs from 1-6 hours in length.

Topics include: Substance Use Screening, Motivational Interviewing, Brief Interventions, Implementing SBIRT in Healthcare Settings, Integrating SBIRT into Psychotherapy, among other topics. CEUs and Continuing Education credits are available.

For more informations about Staff and Professional Training contact:

David Wilkerson, LCSW, LISW-S
NKU SBIRT Project Director
Wilkersond1@nku.edu

SBIRT Technical Assistance

The NKU SBIRT team also offers free technical assistance to organizations interested in implementing SBIRT strategies within their settings. Hospital programs, private physicians, behavioral health and social service agencies can receive assistance with making SBIRT part of your organization’s services.

NKU SBIRT Community Partnerships

SCREENING, BRIEF INTERVENTION, AND REFERRAL TO TREATMENT (SBIRT)

SBIRT screening Card

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