This application proposes development of an interactive, multimedia program, entitled Computer Assisted Alcohol Screening and Treatment for Primary Care (CAAST-PC). The Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) will be computerized, using compact disk (CD) technologies, to provide bilingual (English/Spanish) screening for alcohol problems in primary care settings. The program will: (1) detect early indications of alcohol problems; (2) for """"""""positive"""""""" cases, assess patients' """"""""stage of change,"""""""" (3) match interventions to patients' """"""""stage of change,"""""""" and (4) provide one printout with recommended interventions for the provider and another with psychoeducation for the patient. Alcoholism is frequently observed in primary care settings for both English and Spanish speaking Americans. Historically, physicians have had difficulty dealing with the time-consuming and often resistant patient with problem drinking patterns. Hazardous and harmful drinkers go undiagnosed and continue their drinking patterns, compromising medical conditions and eventually requiring extensive and costly treatments. The CAAST-PC will permit primary care providers to identify earlier stages of alcoholism, overcome denial, and intervene more successfully and at less cost. Phase I will generate the high-level design document (including Spanish translation), design provider and patient printouts, and produce a demonstration diskette. Phase Il tasks include producing and field testing the CAAST- PC.
The commercial impact of this project is very promising. Primary care providers are under pressure to detect and manage disease entities which have not traditionally been their focus. Primary care has a critical place in the detection and treatment of early signs of alcoholism. An interactive, multimedia program which can identify problem drinkers and make specific recommendations for intervention will help meet such demands without additional strain on already overwhelmed providers. A bilingual, easy-to-use computer screening device should be extraordinarily marketable to physician practices, especially given the likely increased use of interactive multimedia in American healthcare.
