title: Impact of system-level changes and training on alcohol screening and brief intervention in a family medicine residency clinic: a pilot study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Although screening and brief intervention (SBI) are effective in reducing unhealthy alcohol use, major challenges exist in implementing clinician-delivered SBI in primary care settings. This 2006-2007 pilot study describes the impact of systems changes and booster trainings designed to increase SBI rates in a family medicine residency clinic which annually screened adults with a self-administered AUDIT-C questionnaire and used paper prompts to encourage physician interventions for patients with positive screens.
  
  
  METHODS
  Investigators added the Single Alcohol Screening Question (SASQ) to nursing vital signs forms, added a checkbox for documenting brief interventions to the clinicians' outpatient encounter form, and conducted one-hour nurse and clinician booster trainings. Impact was measured using chart reviews conducted before implementing systems changes, then six weeks and six months post-implementation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  At all three time points screening rates using AUDIT-C plus SASQ exceeded 90%, however AUDIT-C screening decreased to 85% after 6 months (p=.025). Identification of unhealthy alcohol users increased from 4% to 22.9% at six weeks and 18.8% at six months (p=.002) using both screens. Nursing vital signs screening using the SASQ reached 71.4% six weeks after implementation but decreased to 45.5% at six months. Changes in clinician brief intervention rates did not achieve statistical significance.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This is the second study reporting sustained primary care alcohol screening rates of more than 90%. Screening patients with SASQ and/or AUDIT-C identified a higher percentage of patients with unhealthy alcohol use. Dissemination of effective strategies for identifying unhealthy alcohol users should continue, while future research should focus on identifying more effective strategies for increasing intervention rates.
authors: Department of Family Medicine, Mercer University School of Medicine and Medical Center of Central Georgia, 3780 Eisenhower Parkway, Suite 3, Macon, GA 31206, USA. Johnson.Aaron@mccg.org
authors: James Aaron
authors: JA
authors: Johnson
authors: James Paul
authors: JP
authors: Seale
authors: Sylvia
authors: S
authors: Shellenberger
authors: Maribeth
authors: M
authors: Hamrick
authors: Robert
authors: R
authors: Lott
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D019973:Alcohol-Related Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000451:nursing / Q000517:prevention & control; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D004509:Education, Nursing, Continuing; D005194:Family Practice / Q000193:education* / Q000379:methods / Q000639:trends; D005260:Female; D005845:Georgia; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D007396:Internship and Residency / Q000379:methods / Q000639:trends; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods / Q000451:nursing / Q000592:standards*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010865:Pilot Projects; D015397:Program Evaluation; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires