This proposal is in response to RFA AA 04 01, """"""""National Alcohol Screening Day Academic Emergency Medicine Department Collaboration"""""""". On April 8, 2004, the Rhode Island ED will participate in NASD, a national initiative to screen and intervene with at-risk drinkers. The proposed project will help implement a funded alcohol education project (R25) to translate motivational interventions successful in the primary care setting; to the ED. ED staff will be taught how to screen and to provide brief intervention and referral to treatment (SBIRT), in order to reduce at-risk drinking.
Specific Aims : 1) To reduce levels of hazardous drinking among ED patients, and 2) To use publicity generated by NASD to enhance adoption of SBIRT by ED personnel and physicians, nurses and EMTs. Site: Rhode Island will serve as recruitment and screening sites. Population: Participants will be adult patients (equal to or over 18 years) and other accompanying adults who present to the RIH ED on April 8th, 2004. Participation will be voluntary. Participants will be included if they: 1) meet NIAAA criteria for at-risk drinking, 2) speak English or Spanish, 3) be able to give informed consent, and 4) are over 18 years old. Participants will be excluded if they are: 1) already in alcohol treatment, 2) prisoners in custody, or 3) too critically ill to give informed consent. Design/Methods: A total of 500 ED patients will be screened during two consecutive time periods in the spring of 2004. In the first, or control period prior to NASD, ED patients will receive no intervention, only a printed handout of resources. In the second, or intervention period to occur concurrently with NASD, ED patients will receive the printed handout as well as BIRT. All patients will be followed and re-assessed at 3 and at 6-months, using a second centrally managed interactive phone interview. Analysis: Data analysis will be performed at the data coordinating center. This proposal is designed to complement a proposal for NASD ED alcohol education, which will provide training resources for this project.
