title: A randomized controlled trial of a brief intervention for alcohol and drugs linked to the Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST) in primary health care in Chile.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study the effectiveness of a brief intervention (BI) associated with the ASSIST (Alcohol Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test) for alcohol and illicit drug use as part of a systematic screening program implemented in primary care.
  
  
  METHODS
  A multi-center randomized open-label trial stratified using the ASSIST-specific substance involvement score (for alcohol, scores ranged from 11 to 15 and 16 to 20; and for the other substances from 4 to 12 and 13 to 20).
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 19 primary care centers (n = 520), eight emergency rooms (n = 195) and five police stations (n = 91) were evaluated.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 12 217 people aged between 19 and 55 years were screened for moderate alcohol and drug use risk as defined by the ASSIST Chilean version. A total of 806 non-treatment-seekers were randomized.
  ASSIST-linked BI (n = 400) compared with an informational pamphlet on risk associated with substance use (n = 406).
  
  
  METHODS
  Total ASSIST alcohol and illicit involvement score (ASSIST-AI), and ASSIST-specific score for alcohol, cannabis and cocaine at baseline and at 3-month follow-up.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Sixty-two per cent of participants completed follow-up. An intention-to-treat analysis showed no difference between the two groups for the ASSIST-AI score [mean difference (MD) = - 0.17, confidence interval (CI) = -1.87, 2.20], either for specific scores alcohol (MD = 0.18, CI = -1.45, 1.10), cannabis (MD = -0.62, CI = -0.89, 2.14) or cocaine (MD = -0.79, CI = -2.89, 4.47).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It is not clear whether a brief intervention associated with the Alcohol Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test is more effective than an informational pamphlet in reducing alcohol and illicit substance consumption in non-treatment-seeking, primary care users with moderate risk.
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, Department of Public Health, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
authors.forename: Fernando
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Poblete
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, Department of Family Medicine, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
authors.forename: Nicolas A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Barticevic
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, Nursing School, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
authors.forename: Maria Soledad
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Zuzulich
authors.affiliation: Research Department, National Service for Prevention and Rehabilitation of Drug and Alcohol Consumption, Santiago, Chile.
authors.forename: Rodrigo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Portilla
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine, UC Davis School of Medicine, Violence Prevention Research Program, Sacramento, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Alvaro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Castillo-Carniglia
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, Department of Family Medicine, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
authors.forename: Jaime C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Sapag
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, Department of Public Health, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
authors.forename: Luis
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Villarroel
authors.affiliation: Columbia University School of Public Health, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Brena F
authors.initials: BF
authors.lastname: Sena
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, Center for Study of Addiction, Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
authors.forename: Magdalena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Galarce
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D019973:Alcohol-Related Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis; D002677:Chile; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000379:methods*; D012017:Referral and Consultation; D015813:Substance Abuse Detection / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Alcohol; brief intervention; cannabis; cocaine; illicit substances; primary care; randomized controlled trial; screening