Online Military Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) Training Program

DESCRIPTION provided by applicant Alcohol is the most commonly used substance among soldiers and has a long history as part of the military culture to promote unit cohesion and reduce stress As military deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan have increased within the past years risky alcohol use among military personnel has also increased Untreated binge and heavy drinking can endanger the health and well being of military personnel and their families impact military unit readiness and increase the risk of alcohol related harmful behaviors and consequences e g driving while intoxicated work productivity loss accidental injury misconduct separation from military service domestic and other types of violence illicit drug use and suicide Evidence demonstrates the efficacy and cost effectiveness of alcohol related screening brief intervention and referral to treatment SBIRT for adults The Veterans Affairs VA and Department of Defense DoD Clinical Practice Guideline for Management of Substance Use Disorders SUDs recommends universal alcohol SBIRT However a Institute of Medicine IOM report prepared for DoD Substance Use Disorders in the U S Armed Forces found andquot little evidence of its implementation within the branches andquot Studies have found that only a small percentage of military personnel who screen positive are referred to treatment To improve screening and treatment rates IOM calls for implementation of routine SBIRT in medical settings and standardized annual training for clinicians serving the military This aligns with the National Drug Control Strategy requirement that DoD provide training to military health professionals in evidence based SBI for alcohol and other drug use and the recommendation that training be available online Over the last years Drs McPherson PI and Goplerud Co I have facilitated the Brief Intervention Group a consortium of all major managed behavioral health BH and employee assistance organizations employers professional associations SBIRT and motivational interviewing experts researchers trainers and federal and state representatives with the goal of making SBIRT for alcohol problems routine practice Our collaborating BH organizations see the critical need for a low cost competency based training in alcohol SBIRT designed specifically for practitioners serving military personnel veterans and family members The proposed Military Alcohol SBI program will be developed as a stand alone virtual patient simulation training with content based on the DoDandapos s Clinical Practice Guideline for Management of SUDs Phase will develop one virtual patient simulation between a military BH professional and military patient hour It will be evaluated in a pretest posttest randomized trial with military BH practitioners N The Phase program will include virtual patient simulations hours This project will continue development of a series of programs to train BH and medical practitioners in conducting alcohol SBIRT We are currently developing a virtual patient simulation for integrating adolescent SBIRT into schools of social work and nursing education PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE There is a critical need to train military health professionals to conduct alcohol screening and brief intervention that embraces the unique culture and needs of military personnel and their families as well as military healthcare settings and health care delivery Moreover there is a significant need for interdisciplinary workforce development as an important first step in supporting wider implementation of screening brief intervention and referral to treatment SBIRT as an evidence based practice To meet this need Kognito and NORC will develop and evaluate in a randomized controlled trial an online interactive virtual patient simulation training system to train behavioral health and medical military professionals to routinely screen military personnel and family members for high risk alcohol use and to assess for co morbid behavioral health conditions and behaviors that increase risk of negative consequences of alcohol use provide motivational interviewing informed Brief Negotiated Interviews for those who screen positive to help them modify their risky behavior and facilitate linkages to specialized treatment for patients with complex clinical conditions