title: Implementation of Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment for Adolescents in Pediatric Primary Care: A Cluster Randomized Trial.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Early intervention for substance use is critical to improving adolescent outcomes. Studies have found promising results for Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT), but little research has examined implementation.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To compare SBIRT implementation in pediatric primary care among trained pediatricians, pediatricians working in coordination with embedded behavioral health care practitioners (BHCPs), and usual care (UC).
  
  
  METHODS
  The study is a 2-year (November 1, 2011, through October 31, 2013), nonblinded, cluster randomized, hybrid implementation and effectiveness trial examining SBIRT implementation outcomes across 2 modalities of implementation and UC. Fifty-two pediatricians from a large general pediatrics clinic in an integrated health care system were randomized to 1 of 3 SBIRT implementation arms; patients aged 12 to 18 years were eligible.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two modes of SBIRT implementation, (1) pediatrician only (pediatricians trained to provide SBIRT) and (2) embedded BHCP (BHCP trained to provide SBIRT), and (3) UC.
  
  
  METHODS
  Implementation of SBIRT (primary outcome), which included assessments, brief interventions, and referrals to specialty substance use and mental health treatment.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The final sample included 1871 eligible patients among 47 pediatricians; health care professional characteristics did not differ across study arms. Patients in the pediatrician-only (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 10.37; 95% CI, 5.45-19.74; P < .001) and the embedded BHCP (AOR, 18.09; 95% CI, 9.69-33.77; P < .001) arms had higher odds of receiving brief interventions compared with patients in the UC arm. Patients in the embedded BHCP arm were more likely to receive brief interventions compared with those in the pediatrician-only arm (AOR, 1.74; 95% CI, 1.31-2.31; P < .001). The embedded BHCP arm had lower odds of receiving a referral compared with the pediatrician-only (AOR, 0.58; 95% CI, 0.43-0.78; P < .001) and UC (AOR, 0.65; 95% CI, 0.48-0.89; P = .006) arms; odds of referrals did not differ between the pediatrician-only and UC arms.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The intervention arms had better screening, assessment, and brief intervention rates than the UC arm. Patients in the pediatrician-only and UC arms had higher odds of being referred to specialty treatment than those in the embedded BHCP arm, suggesting lingering barriers to having pediatricians fully address substance use in primary care. Findings also highlight age and ethnic groups less likely to receive these important services.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT02408952.
authors.affiliation: Division of Research, Kaiser Permanente Northern California, Oakland.
authors.forename: Stacy
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sterling
authors.affiliation: Division of Research, Kaiser Permanente Northern California, Oakland.
authors.forename: Andrea H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Kline-Simon
authors.affiliation: Division of Research, Kaiser Permanente Northern California, Oakland2Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco.
authors.forename: Derek D
authors.initials: DD
authors.lastname: Satre
authors.affiliation: Division of Research, Kaiser Permanente Northern California, Oakland.
authors.forename: Ashley
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.affiliation: Division of Research, Kaiser Permanente Northern California, Oakland.
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mertens
authors.affiliation: Division of Research, Kaiser Permanente Northern California, Oakland.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wong
authors.affiliation: Division of Research, Kaiser Permanente Northern California, Oakland2Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco.
authors.forename: Constance
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Weisner
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods*; D010372:Pediatrics; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000379:methods*; D012017:Referral and Consultation; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy